


Beside You

by momentsintimex



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Daddy Luke, It starts off slow, Kid Fic, Love, M/M, Romance, i'm sorry about that, single parent Luke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-20
Updated: 2015-11-08
Packaged: 2018-04-05 07:58:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 27,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4172031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/momentsintimex/pseuds/momentsintimex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke Hemmings was just 19 years old when he became a father to his little girl, Finley Elizabeth.</p><p>When his longtime girlfriend left the two of them shortly after Finley’s first birthday, Luke struggled to manage his life as a world known rockstar and a full-time dad.</p><p>Through the struggles the boys were there for him through it all.</p><p>Some just formed a better bond than others.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One.

Luke remembers being asked a few years ago where he saw himself and the band in five years. 

Back then he was eighteen years old with the world in front of him, millions of girls fawning over his every move, and his three best friends by his side. He had chosen the typical answer that all of the boys agreed on — still touring, still being in a band, still having the time of their lives for as long as the fans would let them.

Luke had never planned to bring a toddler into the mix, and he most definitely never thought being a single parent would even be an event that would happen in his life. But after the long nights on tour he would come back to the bus to find his little girl, Finley, wrapped up in blankets in the back lounge, her three year old eyes closing after multiple attempts to stay awake in an effort to see her dad and uncles just one more time before it was time for her to go to bed herself.

Being at home gave Luke a chance to be a dad the he thought he would be a few years down the road when the boys had taken a break from touring and had a chance to settle in and have the families that they all undoubtedly wanted. He was able to sit at their kitchen table in the apartment just next door to all of the boys, coloring with his little girl as she drew pictures of her with all of her uncles, Jack and Ben included, as well as her cousins. 

Ashton had gotten the girl to draw dinosaurs with him on days Luke just needed a break, all of the boys more than willing to take Finley off his hands. As unexpected as having a baby around was for all of them, when Luke became a single father just after Finley had turned one all of the boys stepped up with their uncle duties, realizing it was going to take more than Luke to help raise her.

If it was up to Luke, he would’ve made it work with Finley’s mum. Luke and her had never had a great relationship, they were more on and off than anything, but when she called him as her voice shook telling him she was pregnant, Luke was more determined than ever to make their relationship work, wanting to be the family that he had always had growing up. A stable one, a happy one.

Just after Finley’s first birthday Luke’s ex had sat him down and expressed how she felt, tears falling down her cheeks as she explained to him that she wasn’t ready to be a mum, their relationship wasn’t working anymore, and she couldn’t take it. She had packed her things and left without Luke even getting to beg her to stay, his little girl left without a mother now.

Finley was just shy of her fourth birthday and Luke had to admit that he had done a pretty good job of raising her by himself the past few years, having tons of help from his family and the boys along the way.

Now as he stood in the kitchen after just managing to get out of bed he watched his daughter’s half asleep expression, setting a plate of pancakes and strawberries in front of her as she sighed, grabbing her fork.

“Daddy, when we going on tour?” Pushing her hair back away from her face Finley looked up at her father, popping a strawberry into her mouth as he turned around to join her in eating as well.

“In a few weeks. We’ve got to finish some rehearsals, and then it’ll be time to go to Europe!” Watching as his daughter smiled Luke dug into his breakfast, knowing that after the quietness of this morning the day would be madness, and they wouldn’t have a chance to be together like this until after dinner.

“Are we home for my birthday?” Shoveling another piece of pancake into her mouth Luke did his best not to cringe at his daughter’s sticky syrup fingers going dangerously close to her dirty blonde hair, taking his plate over to the sink.

“I think we’re in Germany. We’ll do something fun though, I promise.” Rinsing his plate off and putting it in his dishwasher Luke grabbed Finley’s from in front of her, placing it alongside his.

“Go wash up please, I’ll be in in a minute to do your hair and then we need to get going to rehearsals. You have to come with me today, Nan and Granddad have things to do.” Watching as his daughter slid off of her stool and run down the hall Luke finished cleaning up from their breakfast, making his way down the hall and into her bathroom, her tiny feet perched on the stool so she could see in the mirror.

“How are we doing your hair today? Any suggestions?” Running his fingers through her knotty locks Finley grabbed her brush and a hair tie, a smile on her face.

“A bun, please.” Luke could only laugh as he mastered the bun on top of his daughter’s head, setting her off to go get dressed. Luke had managed to perfect the art of doing his daughter’s hair the second it became too long to leave it unmanaged, taking all of the tips he could get from his mum and his two sister-in-laws, who were willing to help out with anything Finley needed whenever they possibly could.

“I ready!” Skipping back to the bathroom with her sunnies on her head and her backpack on her back Luke could only laugh at his daughter, setting off to get ready himself so they could get their day properly started, which meant a day full of rehearsals.

“You’re going to be good?” Luke looked in the rearview mirror as he made his way to the rehearsal space the boys had rented in Sydney, his daughter looking out the window as she sat in her booster seat.

“Uh huh! I going to listen to you guys and color and play on the iPad. Did you bring the iPad?” Her eyes widened as she looked up at him, Luke laughing as he nodded, changing the station to Disney songs.

“We’ll take a break for lunch and then we have some meetings and things, you need to be good all day or no treats next time we go out.” Being a threatening parent was something that Luke was terrible at, but he hoped his threat would be enough to make sure that she didn’t do anything that she wasn’t supposed to.

“Okay, okay.” Rolling her eyes Finley settled back into her seat, singing along to the music as she looked out the window, Luke content in knowing that his little girl was safe, and for the time being, she was being an absolute angel.


	2. Two.

Luke remembers the first time he ever picked up a guitar.

He was twelve years old and going through that struggle on who he wanted to be in his life, often finding himself idolizing his older brothers. Ben had picked up the guitar when he was around Luke’s age, and as Luke watched his brother learn a new song every chance he got, he couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to be able to play the way he does. Ben taught Luke with all the patience in the world, not realizing where it would get the youngest of the Hemmings boys in the future. 

When Finley was just a few months old and had been up all hours of the night teething Luke found that playing his guitar in her nursery was what calmed her the most, her cries quieting when he would play any sort of music he could think of, whether it was classics that h had played growing up or new songs him and the boys had been working on.

Now that she was older and a “big girl” as she would put it, Luke found himself playing his guitar for her less. Instead he settled for bringing her to rehearsals, sitting her in the corner of the room with oversized headphones on her ears, coloring books and snacks in front of her to make sure that she was content with being there for the next few hours.

“Half-pint, you excited about going on tour soon?” Michael sat on the chair next to his niece, Finley looking up at him with her bright blue eyes, watching them widen as she nodded. 

“Uh huh! We going for my birthday!” Pulling her coloring books out of her backpack Luke went in search for her headphones, knowing that the boys could watch her for a few minutes.

“What do you want to do for your birthday? You’re going to be a big four year old. Where did our baby Finley go?” Calum questioned, Finley giggling as she shrugged, walking over to stand just in front of him. Her tiny hands reached up as she stood on her tip toes, holding his face in her hands.

“I want cake. And I not a baby, Uncle Cal.” She pointed out, Calum laughing as he leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together.

“Oh, no? You’re sure you’re not a baby? I’m pretty sure you’re still your daddy’s baby.” Calum teased, his fingers digging into his niece’s side, her giggles erupting through the room as she doubled over, leaning onto Calum’s legs as he stopped, kissing the top of her head.

“Alright Fin, we’re going to practice. You’ve got snacks in your bags and your coloring books. The iPad is in your bag too, I’ll be right there if you really need me. Be a good girl, yeah?” Luke questioned, walking back over as the boys smiled, Finley rolling her eyes.

“Yes, Daddy.” Pulling her headphones from her dad’s hands she put them on, Luke leaning down and kissing her forehead.

“Don’t know why you still get so paranoid, mate. We’re right here if something happens. And she’s a good kid, she’ll be fine.” Ashton patted his best friend’s back before making his way to his drums, Luke just taking another glance back at his daughter before focusing on the music, wanting to get rehearsals done as soon as possible.

—

If Luke was good at anything as a parent, it was realizing when a tantrum was about to happen.

Finley had always been an even tempered child, mostly go with the flow and not really caring what was going on around her. That obviously had changed the more she grew into her own little person and had her own personality, but Luke had learned to deal with her meltdowns, finding what worked and what didn’t.

Unfortunately this time her tantrum came at the end of a long day of rehearsals, Luke just as drained as his three year old was, who sat at the table coloring in her books while waiting for them to finish up the last of their rehearsals for the day.

“Finley, you need to start packing up all of your things, we’re going to go and get some food with your uncles before we go home.”

“No, Daddy.” The reply was simple enough from the toddler’s lips, Luke’s eyebrows raising in surprise.

“Finley, yes. I’m not telling you again, yeah? We need to go get some food and go home.” Sitting down on the sofa next to his daughter Finley ignored him, continuing to color one of her pictures as the other boys packed their own things up, watching Finley with curious eyes.

“Finley Elizabeth, you’ve got until I count to three to get up and start packing up your things. Daddy is tired and hungry, and I know you are too.” Luke spoke firmly, beginning to count as Finley made no attempts to move, Luke finally reaching three.

As he got to three he stood up and packed up her books himself, Finley immediately beginning to cry and throw herself on the ground, her wails echoing throughout the rehearsal space.

“This isn’t how we act Finley, you know this. Let’s go, we’re going home now instead of going out with your uncles.” Leaning down he picked up the flailing toddler effortlessly in his arms, holding her against his chest as he sighed, Finley still causing a scene.

“Wanna go with them!” She hiccuped, Luke shaking his head as he followed the boys out.

“You don’t get to do fun things when you act up Finley. You and I are going home. Tell your uncles goodbye, we’ll see them tomorrow.” Finley just buried her head in Luke’s shoulder as the boys gave her kisses goodbye, Luke packing up his own car before going home, Finley’s cries quietly calming down.

—

After managing to feed the three year old some sort of dinner and get her in the bath Luke decided it was an early bed time for the two of them, walking into his little girl’s room and getting her tucked into her big girl bed.

“Daddy?” Finley whispered as Luke pulled the covers up, her eyes just barely parting, staring up at her daddy.

“What’s wrong, baby? You okay?”

“I sorry for being mean today.” She whispered, Luke’s lips parting into a smile as he leaned down, kissing her forehead.

“I don’t like the way you acted today, but I am very proud of you for apologizing. Do you promise to not act up like that again tomorrow? You’ll be good?” He questioned, Finley nodding as she reached her arms up, Luke leaning down and grabbing her in a hug.

“I love you to bits, Finley. Even when you do act up and are being a bit of a brat.” He laughed, Finley giggling as she nodded, leaning back and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Love you, Daddy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating mid-week, we had a bad storm come through and knock out my power for four days so there wasn't much i could do :\ i'll update midweek this week though! 
> 
> thank you so much for all of the support, i never imagined it would go over that well! Hope you guys continue to enjoy it! It'll take some time to get into the Lashton portion, but hopefully you guys like Daddy!Luke just as much (:


	3. Three.

When Luke was sixteen and him and the boys were just starting out on the first world tour with One Direction he packed random clothes and things he thought he would need into one suitcase, promising that if he needed anything else he would just go shopping with his mum when he realized what he was missing.

Now packing for a world tour involved days of planning, two suitcases, carry-on luggages full of treats and things to occupy time, and a lot more patience.

Finley had been into clothes from the time she was able to walk, Luke always having to keep an eye on her when they would go shopping to make sure that she didn’t pull anything off the racks that they weren’t going to be buying.

Things didn’t change when it came to packing, and while Luke still tried to get away with packing the least amount that he possibly could, Finley had other plans, instead deciding that she wanted to bring as many of her clothes as she could possibly fit into her suitcase.

“Baby, if we bring all of your clothes you won’t have any room in your bag for presents or other things we might buy while we’re on tour. So you can bring all of your clothes, or you can save room in your bag to get presents if you’re good.” He reasoned, Finley’s head falling backwards as she sighed, Luke suppressing a smile.

“Okay, I leave clothes home then.” She compromised, Luke nodding as he helped her sort out her clothes, packing her bag neatly. 

“We’ll put things in your carry-on tomorrow before we leave. Do you want to come watch a movie in my room while I pack my bag?” Luke questioned, glancing at the time to see how much longer he had before he needed to get her dinner. With Finley nodding Luke stood up from the floor and lifted her effortlessly into his arms, carrying her down the hall of his flat and into his bedroom, his suitcase already laid out on the bed.

“What movie will we be watching tonight, little bug?” Laying her down on the opposite side of the bed Finley got herself situated on the pillows, smiling up at her dad.

“Big Hero 6, please!” Luke could only laugh as he set the movie up on the TV, the toddler completely entranced, giving Luke the ability to pack without worrying about if she was getting into anything or causing trouble without him physically being in the room with her.

“How long will we be gone?” With her knees tucked up against her Finley looked over at her dad, Luke packing more clothes for himself. 

“Almost two months. I think Nan and Granddad might come visit while we’re on tour though.” Finley just nodded, her attention turning back to the movie, leaving Luke to sort through things that he wanted to bring with him as well.

Downstairs Luke could hear the front door open and briefly wondered who it was before hearing the familiar voice, watching his daughter’s eyes widen as she heard it as well.

“Uncle Ash here!” She squealed, sliding off her side of the bed and running out into the hall, Luke briefly laughing before watching the two of them reappear, Ashton carrying his niece in his arms.

“You left watching Big Hero 6 for me?” Ashton smiled, tickling Finley’s sides as she squealed, Luke laughing at the two of them.

“You watch with me now!” She smiled, pulling Ashton to the bed with her as Ashton looked over at Luke, smiling.

“I texted you and told you that I would come over and help with this babe so you could pack, and when you didn’t answer I figured that I would just come over and help you. Did you two eat yet?”

“No, not yet. I don’t even know what I’m going to feed her. We don’t have much in since we’re leaving tomorrow.”

“Why don’t you finish, and then we can go grab something? I’m packed for the most part.” Ashton shrugged, playing with Finley’s hair as he looked over, Luke nodding.

“Yeah, that’s good. I’m almost done and then we’ll go.”

—

Luke had opted to drive the three of them to the restaurant by their house so they didn’t have to move Finley’s seat between cars, Finley singing along to the radio as they drove.

@Ashton5sos: Mini superstar in the backseat! [video of Finley singing along to the songs]

Pulling up to the restaurant the three of them hopped out, Luke situating his little girl on his hip, kissing the side of her head as they walked in, quickly ordering their dinner.

“Eat as much as you can.” Luke pushed Finley’s plate back in front of her after ripping up her chicken so it wouldn’t be as hot.

“So Fin, are you excited to go on tour with us?” Ashton questioned, Finley taking a bite of her dinner before nodding, wiping her mouth with her sleeve.

“Yeah! We going loads of places!” She smiled, Ashton and Luke both laughing as they nodded, keeping up with the conversation before it was time to go back home, Luke hoping to get Finley into bed as early as possible as he knew the next day’s wake up time.

"Say goodbye to Uncle Ashton, please. We’ll see him in the morning.” Luke coaxed, handing Finley to his mate as she hugged him tightly, Ashton pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

“Bye Uncle Ash, see you in the morning.” She smiled, leaning forward and kissing his nose before sliding back to the ground, running ahead of Luke and into the house, Luke quickly following to get her ready for bed.

“When you wake up tomorrow it’ll be time to go on a big airplane.” Luke smiled, pulling pillows off his daughter’s bed as she climbed in, crawling under the covers and stifling a yawn.

“Ni-night, Daddy.”

“Night Finley, love you to bits.”

“And bits and bits.” She mumbled, her head rolling to the side as Luke pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek, standing up and shutting the light off before making his way to his own bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there will be another update on Sunday :) Thank you for all of the support with this story!


	4. four.

Being a single parent came with a lot of scary consequences, ones that Luke had never thought about before Finley had made her entrance into the world. 

Bringing her on world tours just added to his anxiety of taking care of her all the time.

Whenever the boys left Sydney or arrived back home the paparazzi were always out in full force, Luke usually holding Finley as tight as he possibly could to his chest while they walked through the crowds. Finley rarely got scared of them, usually lifting her head up and waving, enjoying that people wanted pictures of her and her daddy.

Today was no different, and as Luke lifted Finley out of her booster seat in the car sent for them by their management she pushed her tiny aviators up onto her face, her arms wrapped around her dad’s neck.

“Just a bit hectic for a minute, and then we’ll be inside with your uncles.” He promised as always, turning around to face the fans and paparazzi waiting, Finley immediately smiling at them.

“Good morneen! We going on a big plane to tour!” She giggled, waving as they walked inside, Luke letting Finley stand with her uncles.

“I said hi to everyone. They didn’t yell today.” Finley giggled as she hugged her uncles, Luke briefly running back outside to say hello to fans and grab a few of their carry-on items for the actual flight.

“Alright, you ready to go? Let’s start making our way through security.” Luke smiled, placing Finley’s backpack on her back before taking her hand, following the boys and their security towards the gate.

—

Now that Finley was older and no longer needed them to bring a stroller along all of the time Luke worried about her through security, always making her go in between him and the boys so she wouldn’t get swept away with the crowds who were all also trying to make their flights.

“Can we get a snack, please?” Finley questioned, sat on the bench just on the other side of security while Michael put her shoes back on, Luke finishing grabbing all of their things after they had gone through the scanner.

"Let's wait for your daddy, and then I’ll take you to get some treats for the plane ride. You have to be good today though, yeah?” He questioned, Finley nodding as she hopped down from her spot on the bench, holding Michael’s hand as they went to find the rest of the boys.

—

Settling into their first-class seats Luke managed to get Finley to settle down next to him, buckling her seatbelt in and grabbing her coloring and sticker books, her headphones next to her as he sat down, getting himself settled as well.

“Two big flights and then we’ll be in Paris. Think you can do it?” Luke questioned, Finley giggling as she nodded, leaning back in her seat.

“Fin babes, are you excited? It’s been a while since we’ve been on a plane.” Leaning up on her knees Finley was just barely able to see Michael sat behind her, in a row with their tour manager this time.

“Yes, Uncle Mikey, I am very excited.” She giggled, Luke pulling her to sit back down while they went through security procedures, hoping that take off would go as easy and as smoothly as possible.

“We going now!” Finley squealed, pressing her tiny hands against the window as she looked out as the plane took off the runway, the familiar city of Sydney disappearing below them. 

“Bye bye home! See you soon!” Finley waved, leaning back in her seat as she grabbed her sticker book, settling in for the long ride.

—

Seven hours in to the fourteen and a half hour flight and Luke was impressed by how well Finley had been behaving, although he knew that she was getting restless, and he wasn’t sure what else to do for her.

“Do you want to go for a walk down the aisles for a bit so you can stretch your legs? It’s almost time for a snack. You’re being a good girl babe, I’m so proud of you.” Luke smiled, helping her out of her seat and kissing the top of her head, setting her down.

“We going for a walk, Uncle Calum.” Finley smiled as Calum held his arms out to cuddle her, Calum laughing as he nodded.

“When you come back will you sit with me for a bit? I’ll switch with your daddy.” Calum offer, Finley nodding as she took Luke’s hand, walking up and down the aisles before returning to their seats, Calum already sat in Luke’s seat.

“She’s being amazing today, mate.” Ashton smiled as he looked at Luke while he sat down, Luke nodding.

“She’s been good so far, just worried about the next seven hours, and then the flight after that.” He rolled his eyes, Ashton laughing.

“You can ask for help, you know? You’re not in this alone. I know you didn’t plan on being a single dad and bringing her on tour isn’t what you wanted all of the time, but she’s going to be fine, we’re here to help.” Ashton reminded him, Luke just sighing.

“Thanks mate. That means more than anything. I just want her to be normal, you know? She loves this though, and she loves being with you guys and spending time with everyone. I’m just lucky that she’s behaving on this flight.” Giggles from Finley were heard from the seats behind them, Luke smiling as he leaned back, letting his eyes shut.

“Just relax now then, Calum’s keeping a good eye on her and we’ll let you know if she needs anything that we can’t get for her.”

And with that, Luke let himself quietly fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter and this was just a filler, next one will be longer!


	5. Five.

It took a quick layover in Dubai and a seven hour flight before they arrived in Paris, Finley half asleep against her father’s shoulder as they walked off the plane, the boys helping carry some of Finley’s things so Luke had one less thing to worry about.

“Can we go to the hotel now?” Finley mumbled, Luke smiling as he nodded, shifting her to the other side of his body.

“We just have to go through customs and get our things before we go. Not much longer. Do you want to take a nap when we get there?” With a quick nod Finley yawned, pressing her head further into Luke’s neck, Luke following his manager through the airport.

—

By the time the boys had navigated through the small amount of fans that had come to say hello and gotten in the car Finley was fast asleep, barely stirring as Luke buckled her into the car seat that had been sent by their management in France. Waiting for one of the boys to come back to the car Luke went and said hello to the fans, taking a few photos before they all left.

While the hotel wasn’t incredibly far from the airport Finley had rested against her car seat and fell asleep, her blanket fisted in her hands as her mouth slightly parted, the boys noticing as they kept quiet, noticing that there weren’t many fans at the hotel when they arrived.

“Boys, we’ll bring your bags up. Follow John up to your rooms, we’ve got a few things to go over before you guys can have the rest of the night to yourselves.” One of their security guards instructed, Luke gently lifting Finley from her seat and resting her on his side, carrying her into the hotel and making their way up to their floor.

“I’m just going to put her down, and then we can talk about what’s going on for the next few days.” Making a pillow wall on either side of Finley Luke gently laid her down in the bed, covering her with a blanket and kissing her forehead as he walked into the living area of his hotel room, their managers and the rest of the boys waiting on him.

“You boys have a few interviews tomorrow, some are radio, some are television. Luke, Kelsey’s offered to take Finley from you while you’re doing interviews, but if she wants to be with you during the radio interviews and she can stay quiet then we’ll allow it.” Since Luke had become a single dad his management had been more than accommodating on whatever he needed to do for Finley, including when they went on tour.

For the most part Finley was able to be with Luke for the day while they were on tour, Kelsey, their stylist, taking her when the shows would happen, usually watching a film with her until she calmed down and fell asleep, Luke putting her properly to bed when he was done getting changed himself.

“She’s going to be jet-lagged for the next few days, but hopefully she’ll be good to go in a few days when tour starts.” Luke spoke up, Kelsey smiling as she nodded, moving onto a few other things they needed to get through before they were finishing up the meeting, looking over to se the door opening, Finley appearing in the doorway.

“Hi, bug.” Luke smiled, opening his arms and lifting his little girl up in his arms, letting her cuddle against his chest. “Did you have a nice nap?”

Nodding her head, Finley suppressed a yawn and nodded. “Tired.” She whispered, pulling herself into a little ball as she curled into Luke’s chest, Luke kissing the top of her head as he finished up the meeting with the rest of management.

“Monkey, do you want to order some room service with us and we’ll watch a film with you?” Looking in Calum’s direction Finley perked up a bit, smiling as she nodded.

“Do they have chicken nuggets?” She questioned, the boys laughing as Michael walked over, picking Finley up and squeezing her, Finley giggling her as she tickled her sides.

“Uncle Mikey, stop!” She squirmed, Michael leaning forward and pressing kisses all over her cheeks.

“You are going to turn into a chicken nugget if you keep eating them all of the time, you know that?”

“Daddy says that that’s just a joke and I won’t really turn into a chicken nugget.” Finley’s eyes widened, Michael laughing as he glanced over at Luke.

“You would tell her I was just kidding. Half-pint, I would never let anyone turn you into a chicken nugget, I’d miss you too much and then I’d have to eat you.” He smiled, Finley giggling as she nodded, leaning her head down on his shoulder.

—

After ordering room service and eating around the table with the boys Luke had gotten Finley into her pajamas, laying her down in her bed while she picked a film.

“Are you guys going to stay with me for the film?” Finley yawned, looking at the other boys as they smiled, nodding.

“Yeah, we’ll stay. What movie are we watching?”

“Up.” 

“Oooh, Uncle Ash’s favorite!” Ashton smiled, walking over to his niece’s bed, laying down next to her as she cuddled into his side.

“You need to get some sleep as well, princess, no fighting to stay awake.” Luke reminded her, Finley nodding as she yawned, settling down to watch the movie.

The longer the movie went on the more Finley dozed off, Luke glancing over to find her asleep pressed against Ashton’s side, Ashton’s hand running through her hair.

And while raising his child on the road and in hotel rooms wasn’t an ideal life for a father, seeing how comfortable she was around her uncles and in beds that were so unfamiliar to her made him realize that things were going to be okay, Finley was going to grow up and be a normal kid, and he was doing a good job as a single parent, no matter what anyone else tried to say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about no mid-week update, work has been crazy. I'll do my best to get one up this week, but no promises. Thank you for all of the comments and kudos! (:


	6. Six.

“There’s lots of people outside.” Standing perched on her tip toes in front of the oversized window of their hotel room Finley looked out and down on the front of the hotel, Luke finishing getting himself for the interviews that they had in just a little while.

“Are there? That means they might be loud when we go downstairs.” Fixing his hair in the mirror Luke glanced over as Finley looked back at him, shrugging.

A knock on their hotel room door broke Finley from her concentration, running to the door and pulling it open, revealing Ashton on the other side.

“Hi, Uncle Ash! There’s people outside!” 

“Are there? What do you say we do something with your hair then, make sure you’re looking extra pretty.” He offered, picking her up and sitting her on the counter beside Luke, Luke giving his best mate a sympathetic smile.

“I was getting around to it.”

“I want a bun, please.” Grabbing the hair brush and a hair tie Ashton effortlessly tied his niece’s hair up the way that she had requested, Luke pressing a kiss to her forehead as he helped her brush her teeth.

“We’ve got some interviews today, you’re going to stay with Kelsey on the ones that are videos.”

“Can I bring the iPad?”

“It’s already packed. Go get your shoes on please, we have to go meet everyone else downstairs.”

—

“I am Finley, I am three, and I love my Daddy!” Finley smiled, squeezing Luke’s cheeks as she sat in his arms, the group walking out through the fans and to the van, waving at them as they passed.

“Fin babes, not so hard.” Luke laughed, leaning forward and putting Finley into her booster seat, making sure she was buckled in.

“Daddy, did you say hi? I wave to them now.” Finley reached around her dad, waving to the girls as they all waved back, Luke laughing.

“I said hi, bug.” He promised, pressing another kiss to her head before going around and climbing in the other side, ready to leave for their first set of interviews.

“I want to be a singer when I’m big.” Finley glanced over at her dad, Luke looking over as he smiled, reaching out and holding her hand.

“You can be whatever you want to be.” He assured her, Finley nodding.

“What happened to wanting to be a princess?” Calum asked from the back seat, Finley doing her best to look back at him, rolling her eyes.

“I already a princess, Uncle Cal.”

“You can be a singing princess.” Michael offered, Finley’s eyes widening as she clapped her hands.

“Good idea!” 

—

Two on-camera interviews had been finished before the boys even had a chance to break for lunch, Finley sat in the green room of the building, her iPad keeping her occupied with games and movies on it, Luke just hoping that would be enough on long days like these.

“Hey squirt.” Looking up from the iPad Finley smiled as she noticed her dad and uncles walking into the room, setting it down next to her as she reached her arms up, Luke picking her up and placing her on her lap.

“You okay?” Rubbing her back Luke pressed a kiss to his little girl’s head, Finley nodding as she nudged herself further into his chest.

“Yeah. Hungry.”

“Let’s go get you some food then.” Standing up from the sofa Luke readjusted Finley in his arms, carrying her out of the room and down the hall, lunch already laid out for them in a conference room.

“Eat as much as you can, and then we have to go back to interviews.” Setting a plate in front of Finley she nodded, Luke sitting down on one side while Michael sat down on the other, smiling at the little girl he had watch grow up the past few years.

“What have you been doing while we’ve been working? Have you been good for Kelsey?”

“Uh huh. We watched a movie and then I play games.” Luke leaned down and pushed stray hairs back from her forehead, smiling.

“I miss you, Daddy. When you done working?” 

“Few more hours. Maybe we’ll go to the pool tonight when we’re done, would you want to do that?” 

“Uh huh! We go, please!” Jumping out of her chair Finley’s eyes widened, Luke laughing as he nodded.

—

A few more hours of interviews in which Finley made herself at home on her father’s lap and proceeded to fall asleep during the radio interviews the boys were finally going back to the hotel, Finley still talking about going to the pool.

In hindsight, Luke knew that he shouldn’t have brought up the subject of going to the pool in the hotel, especially because his daughter was three and continuously asked the same question over and over, which consisted of when they would be back at the hotel and would they go right to the pool.

“Mate, if you’re tired and want to rest, I’ll take Finley for you.” Ashton looked over at his mate, Luke stifling a yawn.

“I can’t just ask you to take my daughter from me so I can rest. I’ll be fine, it’ll be fine.”

“You’re not asking me, I’m telling you I’ll take her. It’s okay to ask for help sometimes, and I’m pretty much her uncle anyway.”

“Uncle Ash, come with us!” Looking over to the car seat as Ashton and Luke piled into the car Finley smiled, Ashton laughing as he nodded.

—

“Do not jump into that pool until I am in it Finley Elizabeth.” Watching as his daughter stood right at the water’s edge Luke placed their towels down, Ashton grabbing a chair for himself as well.

“Hurry, Daddy!” Jumping up and down Finley turned around and looked at Luke, Luke pulling his shirt off before making his way to the water’s edge, sliding in.

“I jump to your arms.” Finley explained as she stood just in front of where Luke was, Luke laughing as he nodded, holding out his arms as Finley jumped, spitting out the water that had gotten in her mouth as Luke caught her.

As exhausting as work was and as much as he had just wanted to go back to his hotel room and fall asleep until their show the next day, Finley had to come before everything else. Seeing her happy was what made him happier than anything else in the world could, and while he could do with more sleep, spending time with his little girl and doing something that she wanted to do after hours of her waiting for him to be done work was what mattered, and he would always stand by that statement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more of a filler, but more things will start happening soon! What do you think should happen?


	7. seven.

It had been three weeks and eight shows had happened since the boys had left Australia and while they didn’t come without their challenges, Finley for the most part had been an absolute angel.

Now they found themselves in an unfamiliar city in Germany, and it was Luke’s little girl’s fourth birthday, Finley having been counting down to it for the past ten days, every day asking one of her uncles how many days were left until she turned four.

As Luke rolled over and woke up to glance at the clock he was grateful to see his little girl still asleep, tired from staying up and watching the show as a birthday treat. Today was an off day, and Luke planned on doing whatever Finley wanted for her birthday before finishing up with a dinner with all of her uncles.

Forcing himself to get out of bed Luke managed to take a quick shower and get out just as Finley started to stir, turning in the bed that was much too big for her, consequently making Luke more nervous that she would end up falling out through the night.

“Good morning my little birthday princess.” Opening his arms Luke let his little girl crawl into her lap, stifling a yawn as she pressed her head into his chest, Luke pressing a kiss to her temple. “My big four year old now, aren’t you?” With a small nod Finley looked up and nodded, puckering her lips for a proper kiss.

“It’s still a bit early, I’m sure your uncles are still sleeping. Why don’t we rent a movie and then we’ll get you ready for the day after, yeah?” He offered, settling her back against the pillows as he got a movie on TV for them, letting her cuddle into his side as her eyes fixed on the movie, completely entranced.

—

Finishing up the movie and managing to get Finley up and ready for the day was the easiest part for Luke, who had let Finley pick out her own outfit which included an orange sundress and flip flops, her dirty blonde hair brushed out, fixing her curls so they rested nicely on her head.

After a quick stop for breakfast at the restaurant in the hotel Luke had taken Finley’s hand as they walked out of the hotel, a small group of fans smiling as they wished her happy birthday, Luke promising that he would be back later, but right now he planned on spending time with Finley.

“Alright bug, this is your special day. What do you want to do first?” He questioned, looking out at the unfamiliar city in Germany, Finley’s hand wrapped tightly in his.

“Um, I don’t know. Can we get ice cream?” Looking up at her dad with hopeful eyes Luke couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his head.

“It’s a bit early for ice cream, but we will later. How about we find a toy store and get you some presents, and then we’ll go to the park. Sound like a plan?” He offered, Finley nodding as she skipped alongside her father on the sidewalk, singing her own song as they made their way through the unfamiliar streets in search of a toy store.

—

Two toy stores, plenty of treats, and an ice cream cone later and Luke found himself carrying his tiny birthday girl from the park back to the hotel, Finley’s head rested against the crook of her neck, her hair tickling him gently.

“You having a good day so far, bug?” Luke questioned, Finley nodding softly as she yawned, her arms wrapping around his neck.

“I love you, Daddy. You’re the best daddy in the whole world.” She mumbled, Luke’s lips curling up into a smile.

“I love you too baby, more than you could ever imagine.” He whispered, making his way through the front entrance of the hotel, reaching his hotel room and laying Finley down, hoping a few hours to nap would rejuvenate her energy, knowing the boys still had things planned for her as well.

As Luke watched his little girl curl up against the pillows and gently fall asleep he couldn’t help but think back on the past four years, and how much had changed. What remained constant was his love, and how much he would do absolutely anything for this little girl who had given him a love that he never even knew existed.

—

“We hear it’s a certain someone’s birthday in this room? But who could it be?” Finley giggled as she heard the door to their hotel room open, her three uncles walking in with pink fuzzy tiara’s on their head, Finley collapsing back onto the pillows in a fit of laughs when she saw them.

“It’s Finley’s birthday!”

“You have funny hats on your head.” She giggled, Ashton walking over and pressing kisses all over her face, placing a tiara on her own head that matched theirs, Luke taking a photo of the four of them.

@5SOS: Happy fourth birthday to our gorgeous, hilarious, adventurous and cheeky niece Finley! We love you more than anything Fin xxx #princessparty [twitpic]

“Have you had a good day?” Michael questioned, Finley nodding as she sat cross-legged on the bed, the other boys sat around her, Luke watching from afar.

“Uh huh! I got toys and we got ice cream and went to the park! It’s been so fun!” 

“You’ve already got presents? Guess we don’t need to give you what we got you then.” Calum shrugged, watching as Finley’s eyes widened, shaking her head.

“No, I want them! Please, Uncle Cal!” The boys laughed, nodding as the brought a bag up to the bed, handing it over to Finley.

“We got you a few small things, okay? Nothing huge cause we have to bring them all home in a few weeks.”

“What do you say, Fin?”

“Thank you!” She smiled, tearing through the wrapping paper to reveal dolls, play makeup, and her own mini guitar.

“One more thing.” Ashton smiled, standing up from the bed and walking towards the door, Finley’s eyes widened as he wheeled back in a scooter, a helmet hanging off the handlebars.

“This is for backstage, now you have something to ride when we all have our bikes.” Luke smiled as Finley jumped up from bed, running over to see it. 

“It's so cool! Thank you!” She smiled, running around and hugging all of her uncles, saving Luke’s hug for last as she jumped into his arms, giving him the biggest kiss that she could.

—

Finishing up with presents and getting everything put away it was time for them to go to dinner, where they would be joined by the rest of the crew. Finley held onto Luke and Calum’s hands as they walked down the streets, arriving at a restaurant near their hotel, Finley sat in between everyone as they ate their dinner, singing happy birthday to her when the waitresses brought cake.

By the time the dinner had finished up Finley found herself back in Luke’s arms, all of them walking back towards the hotel as she dozed off, her even breathing just underneath Luke’s ear as he adjusted her gently, not wanting her to wake up.

Gently putting her into her pajamas and getting her into bed was no easy task for Luke, who was afraid one quick move would wake Finley up and cause her to be impossibly cranky, the last thing that he had ever wanted to happen.

Closing the bedroom door gently and walking back out into his tiny living area he was happy to see that the boys hadn’t left, the three of them sitting around as they looked at their phones, looking up only when Luke took a seat beside Ashton on the sofa.

“I can’t believe my little girl is four. I feel like I was just telling you guys I was going to be a dad. And now I’m doing this alone and she’s four and she’s not my little baby anymore.” Luke rambled, the boys looking up as they smiled.

“Luke, she’s only four. She still needs you more than anyone else in the world.” Michael reminded him, Luke sighing as he nodded.

“You’re an amazing dad, mate. I know you didn’t want to be a single dad, and this isn’t the way that you ever envisioned raising her, but she’s so happy, and that’s what matters the most.”

“And we’re always going to help you, you know that.” Ashton reminded him, Luke nodding as he looked at his phone, letting the conversation quietly disappear.

@Luke5SOS: Happy fourth birthday to my best friend, my little bug, Finley. I love you more than anything princess, you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. [twitpic of Luke holding Finley, both of them laughing]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More of Luke and Ash are coming! (:


	8. Eight.

There were certain aspects of being a parent that Luke hadn’t mastered yet.

He had mastered swaddling after just two weeks of Finley being in the world, getting her to calm down on the nights that her teething was at it’s worst, and he got incredibly good at dealing with his daughter being a picky eater, and getting her to eat foods that she otherwise would have turned her nose to.

What he hadn’t mastered was how to deal with a tired four year old in a confined space, who had done nothing but throw tantrums on what was supposed to be a relaxing day off for the two of them.

“I hate you. You’re the worst daddy ever. You’re being so mean!” Finley screamed, fresh tears running down her face as her cheeks turned beat red, her throat scratchy from throwing her millionth tantrum of the day — or at least that’s what it felt like in Luke’s mind.

“If I’m the worst daddy ever then I’ll just put you back on a plane to Australia and you can live with Uncle Ben or Uncle Jack. Would you like that better?” Luke had been able to push out the “hate you” remarks at a fairly early time, Finley learning those two words just after her second birthday and proceeding to use them every time Luke didn’t let her have her way.

“They love me more than you do.” She mumbled, walking over to the bed she had to herself and throwing her body down on it, becoming limp against the comforter.

“They wouldn’t love you being a brat like you’re being right now.” He reminded her, Finley looking up at him, her ice cold stare enough to make Luke sigh, secretly hoping she would crash soon.

“I’m not being a brat. You’re being mean.” With a hiccup Finley pushed herself up to the head of the bed, climbing under the covers and flipping over so her back was facing her father, Luke hearing her even breathing just minutes later.

While Luke was no stranger to toddler meltdowns and Finley throwing fits, with how drained he was and how long he had put up with them, his mind was wandering. With a quick text to one of his best mates Luke waited patiently for a knock at the door, letting Ashton come in as they sat in the living room, leaving the door to the bedroom cracked, just in case Finley woke up and needed something.

“I just, am I a bad dad? She’s so young, she shouldn’t be traveling like this. She says she hates me, and I know that’s a kid thing to do and I definitely did it when I was younger, but does she mean it? I mean I already haven’t given her a mum, it’s just been me for as long as she can remember, does she hate me because of it? Oh my god, it’s my fault my kid hates me.” Luke rambled, Ashton’s hands resting on his shoulder as he sighed.

“Luke, you are not a bad dad. Your daughter having a bad day does not make you an awful father. Finley loves you more than anything else in the world. The way that she looks at you is the way I can only hope my daughter will look at me in the future. You're her best friend Luke, and her saying that she hates you isn’t meant to be taken seriously.”

“I still can’t be her mum though.” Luke mumbled, his voice just barely above a whisper as he sat down on the sofa, Ashton opting to sit on the chair across from him.

“She’s not asking you to be her mum. She’s asking you to be her dad, Luke. You’ll never be able to be her mum, okay? All you can do is love her and give her the best life that you possibly can, and she’ll be the happiest little girl in the world. It’s fucked up what happened, I know it is because I’ve gone through the same thing, and I wish every day that her mum was here to help with Fin, but you know what? Things aren’t fairytales. They don’t always work out the way you want them to. It hurts me to know that her mum was able to do the same thing my dad was able to do, and now my niece is going to have to grow up the same way that I did not having that figure in their life that was supposed to help them with everything.”

“There’s going to be days where you wish you weren’t in this alone, I know there is. But Finley loves you with all of her heart. Those days when she’s older when she comes home and just needs a hug and her dad to tell her it’s going to be okay, you’re going to be there for her. You’re the best parent in the world for her, and it doesn’t matter how you wanted things to work out, this is how it was dealt with.”

Ashton was met with silence, and as he looked up at Luke he noticed that he was wiping away tears, Ashton standing up and placing himself next to Luke, pulling him in for a hug.

“It’s okay to not feel like things are right, mate. But you have to know that you are making that little girl the happiest that you can. She’s healthy, she's got a dad that loves her more than anything, and she’s thriving. There’s nothing more that you could ever ask for.” 

“Thanks.” Muffled by the sleeve of Ashton’s shirt Luke whispered a reply, a smile spreading across Ashton’s face.

“Anytime. Why don’t I spend the night on the sofa here and I’ll deal with Finley in the morning. Give you a chance to sleep in and not worry about her.” It didn’t take long for Luke to agree, Ashton giving him a soft smile.

“Let’s go to bed now, I’m sure she’ll be awake fairly early and you look shattered.” With a gentle nudge back towards the bedroom Luke said a quick goodnight to his best mate, letting Ashton get his own blankets from the closet before settling in on the sofa, hoping for a quiet and uneventful night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a filler, sorry! Who do you think will make the first move, Ashton or Luke?
> 
> Thank you for reading and all of the support you've given this story, it's amazing! x


	9. nine.

Ashton awoke the next morning to the patter of tiny feet against the thinly carpeted floors of the hotel room, his eyes opening to find his niece standing in front of him, her stuffed dog tucked underneath her arm.

“Uncle Ash? Why are you here?” Sitting up slowly Ashton held out his arms, puling her into his lap as he kissed her head.

“I came over after you went to sleep and talked with your dad, but I fell asleep here so I stayed.” He covered for Luke, Finley nodding, her warm body cuddling up against his chest, Ashton turning on morning cartoons for her.

“I heard you were a bit naughty yesterday.” Hearing a sigh leave the four year old’s lips made him laugh, brushing his fingers through her tangled hair.

“Daddy was being mean.”

“Finley, he just wants you to be safe. You know he loves you to bits, yeah?” A slight nod was felt against his chest, Ashton taking it as his queue to keep talking. 

“He just doesn’t want anything to happen to you, especially because we're not at home. I know you’re upset that that he wasn't as nice to you yesterday, but you also have to behave so he doesn't have to be mean and yell at you for being naughty.”

“I say sorry to him.” Her bright blue eyes looked up at her uncle in adoration, Ashton pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose. 

“Good girl. Let’s start getting you ready for the day and then when Daddy wakes up you can apologize.”

By the time Luke woke up Finley was dressed and Ashton was doing her hair in the mirror, Luke standing in the doorway of the bathroom.

“Good morning, bug. Did you sleep well?” Waiting until Ashton had let go of her hair Finley turned around a smile on her face as she nodded, holding her arms out for Luke to pick her up so she could be eye to eye with him.

“I sorry for being mean yesterday and not listening to you. I be good today, I promise!” She smiled, Luke looking at Ashton who was watching on before going back to his little girl, her face looking directly at his.

“I forgive you. We’re going to have a much better day today, yeah?” He questioned, setting her back down on the counter so she could brush her teeth, Finley nodding.

“Now that she’s up and ready for the day I’m going to go back to my room and get myself ready. I’ll see you in a bit, munchkin, be a good girl.” Pressing kisses all over Finley’s face until she erupted into a fit of goggles Ashton said one more goodbye to Luke, letting himself out of their hotel.

—

Finley had always been a cuddly baby from the time Luke had brought her home from the hospital, her tiny body always finding comfort in being against his chest. He lived for the middle of the night feeds when she would always fall asleep against his chest, Luke finding it hard to put her down again.

As she got older and gained more of a personality the cuddling became less frequent, Luke often having to find his fix on late nights with his little girl cuddled up against his side after a late night film watching, whether it was on the tour bus or in their living room back in Sydney, jet lag usually being the cause of her cuddling.

When Finley had been cuddly throughout the whole morning Luke had worried that something was wrong, only feeling somewhat comforted by the fact that she didn’t have a fever and she wasn’t acting ill in any way. Instead he just ignored her actions and took the cuddling where he could get it, letting her lounge on his lap as they watched cartoons in the back lounge outside the venue in the middle of Europe.

The two of them had taken a quick nap before arriving at the venue, Finley waving to the fans by the gates as they transferred from the bus to the venue, finding their dressing room and beginning to get settled.

“Daddy has to go to soundcheck, okay? You’re going to stay with Kelsey until I’m done, and then we’ll go get dinner before I have to go on stage.” Luke explained, hoping that Finley would go into Kelsey’s awaiting arms, knowing the two of them had loads of fun together.

“I want to stay with you. Please stay with me today. No soundcheck.” Finley pleaded, her arms wrapping around Luke’s neck as her face buried into his shoulder, Luke looking around the room at the rest of the boys, all of them just as confused as he was.

“Bug, why don’t you want to go with Kelsey? You always have loads of fun with her, don’t you want to go have more fun with her today? I’m sure she’ll play whatever game you want to play while I’m gone.” Trying to coax a four year old out of his arms and into the arms of one of their managers was proving to be difficult, Finley just as stubborn as her father.

“Bring her with us.” Ashton looked at the youngest in the band, Luke looking between the other two boys, both of them nodding.

“She shouldn’t have to leave you if she doesn’t want to, it’s only soundcheck and I’m sure the fans won’t mind.” Michael shrugged, Calum agreeing.

“She can sit with me when we play songs, it’s fine.” Ashton offered, Luke nodding as he grabbed the headphones from the table in their dressing room, looking at Finley.

“Fin, we’re going to let you come with us, but when we play songs you have to sit with Uncle Ash so I can play guitar, deal?” Luke bargained, Finley smiling as she nodded, putting her headphones over her head as they made their way to the stage.

“Finley has decided that she wanted to join us today, Fin say hi!” Luke smiled as he stood at his microphone, letting Finley lean forward and talk into it.

“I’m so loud!” She giggled, leaning back in her dad’s arms as he smiled, nodding.

Beginning the soundcheck Michael and Calum took turns talking to the fans before they began to take some requests for songs, Luke walking back to where Ashton was sat with his drums, setting Finley up on the ledge.

“Go sit on Uncle Ash’s lap and help him play the drums, yeah? Then you can come back to me.” Luke smiled, kissing her on the nose before letting her walk back to Ashton, watching him lift her up and getting her situated.

While Finley being on stage with them was less than conventional and something that he didn’t love doing, looking back while they were playing songs and seeing her giggling while she helped her uncle play the drums made it worthwhile, and Luke couldn’t think of anything that could make him happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this feels like it's going so slow, but I hope you're enjoying the small moments between Luke, Finley, and mostly Ashton (: things will pick up in two or three chapters!
> 
> I'm going to be on vacation this week and I'm going to schedule the next chapter to go up next Sunday like always, but if it ends up not working out and for some reason it doesn't post (aka I somehow mess it up...which is possible) I'll update next Tuesday instead to make up for it! x


	10. ten.

It had been two weeks since Ashton had spent the night in Luke’s room, and the only thing that had changed since then was the fact that Ashton had been spending more time with Finley and Luke, wanting to make sure that Luke had time to just be a normal young adult and Ashton had time to spend with Finley.

“Why don’t you go get your scooter and ride around the hallway right here? You’ve been in this room and on this iPad all day, you need to do something else.” After finishing up some interviews Luke and the rest of the boys walked back into the hotel room to find Finley laying on the sofa watching cartoons on the iPad, Finley looking over and sighing as she got up.

“Helmet please!” Luke called after her, watching her run back to get her helmet and put it on, Luke pressing a kiss to her nose before letting her run back out, cleaning up after her.

Sitting down on the sofa and joining the rest of the boys in conversation Luke let his eyes slip closed, desperate for more sleep. While Finley had been doing well with all of the traveling and rarely had a change in her sleep schedule Luke had still found it hard to catch up on his sleep, Finley always waking up early ready to take on the day, forcing Luke to do the same.

The conversation was cut short when the boys heard a crash outside, Finley’s cries immediately filling the hallway as Luke sprang up, running out to find her laying on the ground, her head in her hands.

“Fin bug, what happened?” Careful to move her Luke took a look at her, immediately noticing the blood coming from her chin.

“I hit…something and…fell!” Sobs unable to be controlled spilled from the four year old’s body, Ashton grabbing a towel to put on the toddler’s chin, hoping it would stop the bleeding.

“Luke, I think she needs a doctor.” Talking quietly Luke nodded, standing up with his little girl in her arms, rubbing her back in a lame attempt to get her to calm down.

“Babes, we’re going to go to see a doctor and make sure you’re okay. I’m going to stay with you the whole time, I promise you.” Hearing this news had only made Finley cry harder, Luke looking to Ashton with wide eyes, unsure of what he was meant to do.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Comfort was the only thing Ashton could offer at that time, Luke nodding as he sighed, grabbing his wallet and making sure he had everything he needed before the three of them went downstairs, Finley’s hiccups and cries still softly being heard against her dad’s shoulder.

“It’s okay bug, we’re going to get you all better in just a few minutes, okay?” Rubbing her back Luke climbed into the back of the taxi that had been waiting, Finley ignoring her father’s soothing words as she stayed pressed into his shoulder, Luke still firmly pressing the towel against the gash that he knew was going to require stitches.

Being in a country that was so far away from their familiar home in Sydney where English wasn’t their first language had always intrigued Luke, but as he climbed out of the taxi with his little girl sobbing against his shoulder knowing she needed medical care, he worried about how things would go should the doctor have trouble communicating with them.

“My daughter fell and cut her chin, I was bringing her in to get her looked at.” Talking to the receptionist and watching her decipher what he was saying she immediately paged someone, a doctor appearing in the waiting room just minutes later, having them follow him back to an exam room.

“Thankfully I’m from England so you won’t have to worry about a language barrier. Let me just take a look at this sweetheart. Did you have a fall?” Just barely able to separate Finley from his grasp Luke laid her down on the bed, still holding her hand as Finley nodding, hiccuping as she finally began to stop crying.

After a few minutes of the doctor looking at her chin and grabbing gauze to get the bleeding to stop he turned to where Luke and Ashton were sat, smiling. “She is going to need some stitches, and I want to take an x-ray of her head just to make sure there’s no fractures, but she’s going to be fine.” He assured them, Luke nodding as he took a deep breath, his hands running through his hair. 

The doctor excused himself from the room to get the things that he needed as Luke made his way back to the bed, leaning down and kissing Finley’s forehead, Finley hiccuping as she calmed down, rubbing at her eyes.

“The doctor is just going to fix your ouchie and then we’ll go get a treat and go home, sound like a good idea?” With a slight nod Finley squeezed her dad’s hand, Ashton watching on from his chair in the corner, the doctor returning.

Having to put stitches in a four year old was exhausting to say the least, and while Finley had been given numbing medication she was still upset about what was going on around her, Luke holding her hands in one of his hands, rubbing her arm comfortingly as the stitches were put in, a giant white bandage placed just underneath her chin, the nurse handing them some ice for both her chin and her lip, which she had obviously bit in the process.

@Luke5SOS: A fall, six stitches, a fat lip, and one big bandage later, and my bug is doing better! Predictions she’ll be back on the scooter tonight :-) [twitpic of Finley giving a thumbs up]

“Daddy’s getting the papers from the doctor and then we’re going to go back. You feeling okay?” Holding the toddler in his much larger arms Ashton leaned down to look at her, sucking on the popsicle that the nurse had given her when they had finished, Finley nodding.

“You were so brave today, your daddy is so, so proud of you.” Rocking her back and forth as they stood in the waiting room while Luke checked out Finley just hummed, Ashton kissing the top of her head.

“We’re going to protect you even more now, you realize that?”

“I don’t want to hurt again.” She whispered, pulling the popsicle out of her mouth as Ashton laughed, nodding.

“We’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

And if there was one thing Ashton could promise, it was that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little drama for you! The next chapter is a big one ;)
> 
> Thank you so much for all of the support and love on this story, it means the world to me! xx
> 
> I'm sorry for it not being posted Sunday, but there will be another chapter this Sunday, so we'll be back on schedule! (:


	11. eleven.

After almost two months on tour and going through Europe and the UK tour was coming to an end, meaning it was time to go back to Australia for a few months before they would go to America to promote the album. It was getting closer to school and Finley would finally be going to primary school with her cousins, something Luke was both terrified and excited about.

“Daddy is packing all of your clothes. We have to go on a big plane again tomorrow, but then we’re back home with your grandparents and uncles. Are you excited?” Laying on the bed watching cartoons Ashton kept Finley distracted so Luke could get some packing done, the boys having a show that night before leaving the next morning.

“Will I still see you and Uncle Cal and Uncle Mikey?”

“Of course munchkin, you don’t get rid of us that easy! We’ll come see you as much as we can, and then you’ll come to the studio with us still.” Ashton promised, kissing the top of her head as a yawn escaped her lips, her head falling back onto Ashton’s chest, settling back into the cartoons.

Finishing up backing the boys made their way to the venue one final time, walking out onto the stage as Luke held Finley in his arms, the toddler fighting the nap that she inevitably would be taking once they got back to the dressing rooms. 

“Last time on this stage for a while bug, do you want to get down and walk around?” Watching his little girl in his arms as she just whined and shook her head, Ashton walked over, holding out his arms.

“You’ve done enough this tour, let me handle her for the afternoon. She’ll be fine with her Uncle Ash, right babe?” Ashton smiled, Finley transferring into his arms effortlessly, nodding.

“Are you sure? You shouldn’t have to take care of her, I can do it.” 

“Luke,stop. I want to take care of her, it’s fine. Have a break, you deserve it.” With a smile Ashton began making his way backstage, Luke listening to him and his daughter talk until they were out of earshot.

—

“We going on a big plane tomorrow, and we going home to Nana and Granddad and Uncle Ben and Uncle Jack and everybody!” Squeezing Ashton’s cheeks between her tiny hands Ashton couldn’t help but laugh, his much larger fingers digging into her sides.

“You’re going to start going to school when we get home too. Are you excited for that?”

“Uh huh! Daddy says I get a backpack and other stuff! I gonna get princess stuff!” 

“You are? That’s a good thing then, cause you are a princess.” Ashton teased, earning giggles from the toddler sat on his lap, watching his every move.

—

The final concert of a tour was always special for the boys, and as Finley danced along side stage the whole night the boys took glances over, watching her wave every single chance she got. Staying awake for the final concert was always a treat for Finley from the time she could understand what was going on, loving seeing her dad and uncles playing to all of the fans that had waited months to see them, even if she didn’t understand it.

Final bows were finished and the boys made their way back to the dressing room, being handed towels as they got further down the hall. 

“Finley crashed just before the finale, she’s back on the bus in bed already, got her changed and everything so you can just chill out and relax.” Kelsey smiled, Luke packing his things away as he thanked her, both him and Ash making their way back to the bus together to be with Finley, Michael and Calum opting to shower at the venue first.

“Fin loves having you around. She adores you. I can’t thank you enough for all of your help.” Leaning back on the sofa in the front lounge Luke checked his phone, both him and Ashton settling in quietly so Finley didn’t wake up.

“I just want to help you as much as possible. You’ve got a good kid, Luke. She’s turning into a cheeky little thing, but she’s so polite and she’s going to be a good kid at school too.” Ashton smiled, leaning closer into Luke as the two of them talked quietly, Luke looking down at him.

“I um, I don’t think you understand how much you mean to me. I mean all of you do, but like, you’ve been so helpful and open to Finley being on tour with us and like, you’re willing to take her when I can’t do it anymore, and you talk to her and you treat her as if she was your own, and like, I never thought Finley would have something like that again, you know?”

“It’s just been her and me for so long and she’s always had the three best uncles on tour, but this is just, this is different.” Before Luke could finish Ashton’s lips were crashing against his, Luke’s eyes widening before he kissed back, pulling back as their foreheads touched.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.” 

“Me too.” Luke whispered, smiles appearing on both of their faces as the silence filled the room, the two of them pulling apart.

“What does this all mean now?” Letting his head fall back against the window Luke glanced over at the older boy, Ashton continuing to look at the TV, glancing over with a small smile on his face.

“We’ll talk about it more when we get home. I want to be with you and Fin as much as I possibly can though, nothing will change that.”

And while Luke may have wanted answers then, he was content with waiting until they were home, just hoping that for once in his life, he’d be able to give Finley something she deserved, something that was more than just the two of them every single day, depending on each other to make it through.

Maybe he never saw it coming, but Ashton could be just the person for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it finally happened! what do you think will happen now?
> 
> the story will start to pick up now that tour is over and they're going back home. Any ideas as to what could happen?
> 
> thank you for all of the support! (:


	12. twelve.

Getting back into a routine after spending nearly three months on the road was something all of the boys struggled with, but mixing in a four year old who didn’t understand how jet lag worked and how she should deal with it was just a cause for trouble.

With the large time difference between Europe and Sydney Luke was always trying to think of different ways to keep the toddler awake and stop her from sleeping all day, not wanting to mess up her sleep schedule in their own home, where they spent a majority of their time now that they were touring less.

Early morning cartoon showings and cereal tucked up into bed had been on the agenda for the past three days, but as the clock passed five and Finley showed no signs of waking up in her own bed Luke took it as they were getting back on Sydney time, something he couldn’t be grateful for.

Since they had been home Luke and Ashton hadn’t had a chance to sit down and talk one on one, but a long flight home was enough for them to connect, Finley taking turns sitting between all four boys, leaving Luke and Ashton sharing a row together for much of the flight. He was planning on finding a time to talk with him, hoping that when they finally had a chance to talk, things would work out for the better.

Quietly getting his own breakfast and turning on the news in the living room Luke was relieved to have some time for himself, deciding to text Ashton and ask him to come over at some point today, not wanting to hold off this conversation any longer.

When Ashton had texted back saying he would come over for lunch Luke had settled back into the sofa, eating his breakfast just as Finley walked down, forcing her way into Luke’s lap, resting her head on his chest.

“Morning, bug. Did you have a nice sleep?” Rubbing at her eyes Finley nodded, yawning as she pressed herself further into his chest, Luke laughing as he leaned down, kissing her head.

“Do you want some breakfast? Or do you just want a cuddle.”

“Cuddle.” She whispered, Luke leaning forward and setting his bowl down on the table, leaning back and holding his little girl as if she was a newborn again, taking in moments like these as they no longer came as often as before.

“Uncle Ash is going to come over for lunch.” Luke mumbled, Finley looking up at him and smiling.

“I miss him. I like when he is with us, Daddy.” She whispered, Luke smiling.

“I know you do, bug, I do too.” He whispered, letting the conversation disappear, turning on cartoons as Finley slowly woke up, getting up to her normal antics that Luke expected every morning.

—

With Finley occupied by a movie in the other room after spending some time with Ashton the two adults found themselves in the kitchen, the air thick with tension as the two of them struggled with what exactly they wanted to say.

“Look, I like you. But Finley, she needs to come first.” Breaking the silence Luke looked at his hands, everything in the room becoming interesting--besides Ashton.

“Finley is your world, I get that. I would never do anything to make that change, trust me. I love your relationship with her, it's inspiring mate. I don't want to ever come between the two of you, and I promise I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. But I want to be with you, I want to make this work.” 

Silence filled the room as Luke ran his hands through his hair, trying to process everything that had happened the past few days and weeks since everything had changed. His mind raced to his little girl who was just in the other room, and how this would affect her. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel like things were going to be different, and this was going to change the dynamic the two of them had together.

“If we do this, we need to take it slow. Like, really slow. Fin loves you, Ash, and I can’t jeopardize that. And the band? We can’t let how we feel about each other come between us at all.”

“It never would. The band always comes first, it always has. And no matter what happens between, Finley will always be my niece, and I will always be there for her.” Ashton was persistent with what he wanted, Luke nodding as he sighed, finally making eye contact with the man across the island from him, a smile on both of their faces.

“We need to take this slow, but I’m willing to work with it if you are.” 

Without saying anything else Ashton made his way over to Luke, the two of them locking their lips together gently, pulling away to look at each other.

“How are we going to tell the boys? And Fin?”

“Explain it to them. I think the boys will understand, I’m sure they suspect something. As for Finley, she’s your little girl, so any way you’d like to go about it I’ll support. Maybe just wait a while and see where things take us?” With a simple nod in agreement Luke’s lips crashed against Ashton’s once more, the two of them just savoring the moment, happy that they had finally figured things out.

—

“I going to help make sandwiches.” Pulling a stool over to the island Finley pulled herself up onto it, Luke holding his arm out to make sure that she didn’t fall.

“What color plates do we all get?” Ashton questioned, settling in on the other side of Finley, who was pulling the plates from the center of the island.

“Daddy gets orange, I get purple, you can have green!” Finley clapped her hands, looking towards her uncle, a big grin on her face.

“Remember, not too much lunch meat, yeah? You don’t need as much as you think you do.” Luke reminded his daughter, watching her reach across for the ham, resting it on the bread that was now on the plate in front of her.

“Daddy, I’m a big girl?” Looking up at her dad as he grabbed the cheese for her Luke couldn’t help but smile, kissing the top of her head.

“You are my big girl, bug. But let me cut that for you, I don’t want you to cut your hand.” Stepping back away Finley watched as Luke cut her sandwich for her, her tiny hands leaning forward to grab a piece, smiling as she bit into it.

“Uncle Ash, will you come over all the time for lunch?” Glancing up at Luke Ashton couldn’t help but smile, his attention focusing back on the toddler who was stood next to him, hopefulness in her eyes.

“I’ll come over as much as I can, deal?” Holding his hand out Finley returned the gesture with a high five, nodding before continuing to eat her sandwich.

While things may have been so new and uncertain for both Luke and Ashton, Finley was happy no matter what the outcome was, and that was the most important part.

Now it was just to tell everyone else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they're officially together! how do you think things will go? (:
> 
> thank you for all of the feedback on last chapter, it honestly makes me so happy to see you guys liking this story!


	13. thirteen.

With Finley at her grandparents for the afternoon so the boys could go to meetings Luke and Ashton both knew it was the perfect time to tell the other boys what was going on between the two of them, wanting to be completely honest with each other throughout the whole thing.

The first time they were able to be alone was at lunch, the four boys left to be together in a conference room, sandwiches brought in by their management before they needed to be back at work, doing more interviews and have a few more meetings.

“So, Ash and I want to tell you guys something. We’ve talked about how we feel about each other, and we’ve decided that we want to be together, we want to see where this can take us.”

“And you thought we’d be surprised?” A smirk appeared on Michael’s face as Calum laughed, hitting the boy beside him in his arm.

“I um—“

“Luke, stop. We’re happy for both you, and we kind of saw it coming.” Calum interjected, Luke nodding as he sighed.

“So, you’re cool with it?”

“You two need to do what makes you happy. Both of you make each other happy, why would we be against that? As long as this doesn’t come between the band and we’re able to do this for much longer, we’ll be fine.”

What words couldn't articulate between the boys a hug could, and as the four of them hugged each other Luke realized that this was okay, things were going to be fine. Ashton was right there to give him a hug as well, and as they finished up work and their meetings that they had they had just enough time to grab something to eat, Finley at her grandparents for a few more hours with her cousins.

“How are you feeling about Fin bug going to school next week?” Sat at a table in the corner of the virtually empty restaurant Luke and Ashton savored the moment of being alone for a few hours, Luke knowing that the rest of his night would be dedicated to his little girl.

“It’s terrible. When did she even get old enough to go to school? I want to hold her back so she can be my little baby and stay home with me all the time.” Taking a sip of his drink Luke smiled, Ashton laughing as he shook his head.

“You know you have to let her go eventually, she’s going to be fine. She loves to learn, you see her when we take her to educational places on tour. She’s going to have loads of friends.” The reassurance Ashton gave Luke was exactly what he needed, and as the two of them kept their mindless conversation going, Luke realized just how much having Ashton in his life as more than just a friend was beneficial to him more than anything.

—

After both Finley and Luke had settled back into their home and had eaten dinner Luke had taken the liberty of getting Finley bathed, knowing that she had spent the afternoon swimming with her cousins at her grandparents, and currently still had chlorine in her dirty blonde hair.

“Did you see everyone today?” Playing with the Barbie dolls that were left in the tub each night Luke sat on the toilet scrolling through his phone, laughing as he looked up at his daughter.

“I did, they missed you hanging out with us today. I bet you didn’t miss them though, did you? You liked being at Nan and Granddad’s.” Poking the toddler’s cheek emitted a giggle from her small body, watching her shrug and nod.

“How come Uncle Ash didn’t come home with you? I told him yesterday I want to see him again.” Jutting her bottom lip out Finley looked up at her dad, Luke grabbing the shampoo so he could wash her hair.

“He had to go back to his house, bug, he can’t come here everyday. You’ll see him soon though, I promise.” As he washed the shampoo through her hair he figured now was as good of a time as any, taking a deep breath as he tried to figure out what exactly to say to her so that she would understand.

“Bug, remember when we had a talk about how people love each other, like Nan and Granddad love each other, and Uncle Jack and Aunt Celeste love each other?” With a small nod coming from the toddler Luke felt comfortable to continue, focusing on her the whole time.

“Sometimes, it’s not just a boy and a girl that fall in love with each other. Sometimes it’s two girls, or sometimes it’s two boys.” 

“So I could love a girl or a boy?” Finley’s eyes widened as she listened to her dad, Luke laughing as he nodded.

“If you wanted.”

“Fin, what I’m trying to say is Uncle Ash and I like each other, and we’re dating. Do you know what that is?”

“Uh huh!”

“Well, we’re going to be spending more time together than normal. Which means he maybe here more than he normally is. Are you okay with this?” Unplugging the tub Luke let the water drain, grabbing Finley’s towel and helping her out of the bath.

“Yeah! I love Uncle Ash! I want him to here all the time.” Finley giggled, slipping on her pajamas as they walked down the hall to her bedroom, Luke lifting her up into her bed, tucking her in.

“Well, you may just get your wish. Now, it’s time for you to get some sleep.”

“I love you, bug.”

“Love you to bits and bits, Daddy!” Leaning up on her elbows Luke leaned down and met her for a kiss, making sure she was comfortable before leaving the room.

While Luke was convinced that Finley didn’t completely understand how things were going to change between him and Ashton, he felt better knowing that she knew about it, and hopefully the changes that were going to happen would go off without a hitch, just wanting everyone to be happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more just a filler than anything, but what do you think will happen in the story now that everyone knows about it?
> 
> thank you for all of the love on this story, i know i say it every time but i never thought the story would be this big so every comment, kudos, and bookmark is amazing to me. thank you! (:


	14. fourteen.

“It’s time to get up, bug! It’s your first day of school!” Walking into his only daughter’s bedroom Luke gently peeled back the curtains, Finley squirming in her bed as she squinted at the sunlight, finally making eye contact with her dad.

As much as Luke had wanted this moment in time to come as slow as possible, he knew it was time for her to start school, and she was more than ready for it. It was all Finley could talk about the past few weeks, excited about going to school and having a teacher and meeting loads of new friends.

“It’s school, Daddy!” Finley smiled, standing up from her bed and walking over to her closet where Luke was, pulling out her uniform that was required by the school that Luke had chosen to send her too, the same one that her cousins also went to.

“Your uncles are on their way over to see you before we take you to school, we need to go eat some breakfast. How do waffles sound?” 

“I want waffles!” Luke had been able to grab Finley mid jump, throwing her onto his back as he made his way downstairs, sitting her down on a chair at the island, giving him both hands to start getting her waffles ready.

“Where is our big school girl?” Hearing the front door open Finley’s eyes widened as she jumped off her chair, running to greet her three uncles. When they walked back into the room Finley was attached to Ashton’s side, Michael and Calum walking just behind them.

“Daddy’s making me waffles!” Sitting back down in her chair Finley smiled as the plate of waffles was put in front of her, Luke making enough for all of the boys as well, all of them talking with Finley and helping her get even more excited for her first day of school, not that she needed it.

Finishing up breakfast and getting her uniform on Luke stood in the bathroom with Finley, gently doing her hair into a half ponytail, Finley barely able to hold still. “Fin, if you want your hair to look nice you need to hold still for me.” Struggling to keep the four year old still Luke finally managed to get her hair done, letting her walk downstairs to grab her shoes and backpack.

“Picture time!”

“Daddy.” Finley groaned, her shoulders dropping as the boys laughed, placing her in front of the wall, taking a few pictures on his phone. He did the typical photos of having her hold up a sign that it was her first day of school, Finley going along with it for the sake of her father. They took some photos with all of the boys and Luke with his little girl, five minutes later Finley complaining that it was too many pictures.

“Alright, time to go wait for the bus.” Holding both Luke and Ashton’s hands the five of them walked out the front door and made their way to the corner where the bus would come, a few of the other kids in the neighborhood already waiting.

“Are you excited for your first day, monkey?” Calum questioned, bending down to his niece as she smiled, nodding. 

“We’re going to miss our little munchkin with us all day though.” Ashton smiled, the four of them hearing the bus coming as Finley bounced on her toes, turning around to see it pulling down the street.

“Does Daddy not even get a hug or kiss goodbye?” Luke questioned, Finley rolling her eyes as she ran over, jumping into her dad’s arms.

“Be a good girl, be nice to everyone, make loads of friends. Have tons of fun bug, I’ll miss you loads.” Pressing quick kisses to her face Finley giggled before grabbing his cheeks, kissing him quickly.

“I’ll be good Daddy, I promise.”

“I love you, bug.” Luke whispered, a smile appearing on Finley’s face.

“To bits and bits.” Giving her one more quick squeeze Luke set her back down on the ground, watching her give quick hugs to her uncle before running up to the bus, climbing on and sitting by the window.

@Luke5SOS: My big girl Finley starts her first day of school today, when did this happen? [twitpic of Luke and Finley together, Finley holding her sign]

@5SOS: Our niece Finley is off to her first day of school! We love you Fin, we’re proud of you! [twitpic of the boys with her]

The boys stood at the bus stop and waited until the bus was out of their view, Finley waving to them until she could no longer see them. Luke had never thought he would get teary eyed sending his little girl to school, but as he quickly turned back on his heels with the boys to walk back to the house, he found himself wiping away the tears.

“You are such a softie, mate. She’ll be fine. Let’s go get some work done, maybe that will take your mind off of it.” 

—

It had been four hours since Finley had gone to school, and while the first hour of the morning had found Luke distracted while the boys were having a writing session in the basement “studio” of his home, the more they got settled in the more Luke began feeling better about Finley being at school.

Luke had promised the night before that they would pick Finley up when her day was over, and as the afternoon went on and the boys got more work done, Luke was relieved that it was finally time for them to go get her, all of them anxious to hear how her first day went, Luke more than anxious to just have her in his arms again.

—

The problem with the boys still being in the spotlight is going to pick up Finley only caused attention to be brought on them by the other parents that were waiting for their children to come out of the school as well. The four boys stood under a tree while they waited, watching the kids file out to find their parents, others walking towards the buses.

“Daddy!” Hearing the familiar voice near him Luke looked up to see Finley running towards him, Luke holding out his arms for her to jump into them.

“Hi, bug! Did you have a good first day?” Situating her on his hip he walked back over to the boys, Finley nodding excitedly.

“We learned colors and writing and I made new friends and played on the swings!” She smiled excitedly, the boys smiling as they let her talk all about her new friends and everything that she had done in school, the boys taking her for some ice cream before they went back home, letting her watch some TV.

Luke had been incredibly nervous to let his little girl take the next step and start school, but now seeing how excited she was and how much fun she was having, he knew that he had made the right decision by sending her now. And while things may be moving too quickly for his liking, Luke felt safe knowing that she was happy, and he would be happy as well to see her grow as much as she would by being in school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't my best, and there's no Lashton, I'm sorry :( I just wanted to show her going to school and how Luke handles it all. Lashton won't be back for another chapter or two, but I promise they'll be back. Is there anything you want to see with them?
> 
> thank you for reading xxx


	15. fifteen.

It had been two months since Luke and Ashton had started dating, and arguably the best two months of Luke’s life since Finley had been born just over four years ago.

Since being back home in the Australia everyone had fallen into a routine, Luke being able to get Finley off to school before going to work for the day, then going through their nightly routine with Finley’s homework, dinner, television and bed. Luke had learned to love his new routine with his little girl, and the more that he settled into the routine of Finley going to school through the day and seeing how much she loved it, he had learned to love it as well.

Their families had been told about Luke and Ashton, and while they were all happy for them and happy to see that they were both back into serious relationships none of them could say that they were surprised that it was the two of them that had gotten together, especially after watching their relationship together for years. 

Ashton’s family had particularly been excited, and while they had always seen Finley as part of their family just like all of their families do, they were even more eager to spoil her more than they had before, spending time with her when her, Lauren, and Harry were all done school in the afternoons. Luke couldn't have been more grateful for Ashton’s family wanting to spend so much time with Finley, which allowed him to get some things done without a four year old following him around everywhere.

It was a cool morning, the seasons turning from fall to winter in Australia, the sun struggling to pull itself through those clouds. It was mornings like these that Luke just wanted to stay in bed and ignore his responsibilities for the day, but with a four year old needing him to get up and keep her routine he managed to get himself up, getting himself ready for the day before walking down the hall.

“Fin bug, it’s time to get up for school." Opening the door to the room that had been decorated for a princess Luke saw his little girl curled up in the middle of her bed, light snores escaping her tiny body. She only stirred when Luke once again called her name, rolling over to meet his face.

“I don’t wanna go.” Barely audible as she spoke into the duvet Finley sighed, Luke’s brows furrowing in concern.

“Why not, bug? You love school!”

“Don’t feel good.” She whispered, Luke leaning down and feeling her forehead, sighing.

“You don’t feel that warm, what’s bothering you? Does anything hurt?”

“My tummy feels weird, Daddy. Please I stay home today?” Luke had always had a bit of a soft spot for Finley and not being able to say no, and as he looked at her he sighed, deciding to just give in.

“I’ll go call you out of school then, you stay here and get some more sleep, I’ll come check on you in a bit. I love you, bug.”

“Love you, Daddy.”

—

It had been three hours since Luke had left Finley in her room, and while he had told the boys he wouldn’t be in to work on the new album that day, he struggled to figure out what was going on with his little girl upstairs.

“Morning, sleepyhead. Do you feel any better now?” Luke looked over to the doorway as Finley walked in carrying her blanket, her hair a mess after sleeping in for the first time in weeks.

“Kind of.” She shrugged, Luke leaning down and picking her up, letting her head rest on his shoulder as if she was a baby again, Luke often carrying her around when he would be on long days at work.

“Ash is going to come over soon, he wants to come see you.” Finishing the sentence Luke wasn’t expecting to hear a groan from his daughter, feeling her bury her head into his neck.

“All right, now I know you didn’t want to stay home because you felt ill. Bug, what is going on with you? You need to talk to me and tell me what’s bothering you, I can’t help if you don’t tell me what it is.” Walking into the living room and sitting himself down on the sofa, Finley laid across his lap, her head resting against his chest.

“I miss you.” Finley mumbled after a few moments silence, Luke sighing as he continued rubbing her back, her breathing staying steady with the movements of his chest.

“Finny, what does that mean? I’m always here, bug, I haven’t left you in ages.”

“You always with Ash now, I miss just you with me.” Hearing the softness of his little girl’s voice could have broken Luke’s heart as he sighed, sending a quick text to Ashton to let him know that he should wait a bit to come over.

“I thought you liked when Ashton came, I thought you liked us together.”

“You always with him though, it’s never me and you anymore. I want it to be me and you more, not you and Ashton.” Sitting up to face her daddy’s face Luke noticed the tears running down her face, Luke leaning forward and rubbing them away.

“Oh bug, I didn’t know you felt like this. You should’ve said something sooner. It shouldn’t have taken you to fake feeling ill just so you could have some time with me.” Taking a few moments to just let Finley calm down in his arms Luke struggled on what to say to her, feeling awful that his daughter had felt left out since they had begun dating.

“How about today we have a cuddle day and watch whatever you’d like to do. I’ll tell Ash to not come over today, and you and I can have a day together. Does that sound nice?” A gentle nod against his chest indicated that Finley was on board with the idea, Luke smiling as he kissed the top of her head.

“I love you Fin bug, and I promise you you will never feel like this again, okay? Ash and I are going to include you more than we have before, deal?”

“Okay. I love you, Daddy.”

“Love you too, Finny, more than anything in this entire world.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thought it was time for a cute Finley/Luke moment! Ashton will be back next chapter, don't worry!
> 
> Not many chapters left unfortunately, but I've written a one-shot to go up at the end of this story with a teenage Finley :) 
> 
> thank you for all of the support xx


	16. sixteen.

After Finley’s meltdown and her and Luke’s conversation just a few days ago, Luke had been doing everything to make sure that his evenings had been filled with just him and Finley, wanting to give her the same amount of attention she always got before him and Ashton had started dating.

Ashton understood what was going on and agreed to not spend as many evenings with the small family, wanting Finley to feel more welcome within their relationship, even if that meant that he wasn't at their house as much as he was used to.

After dropping Finley off at school and grabbing some breakfast with Ashton, Luke and the rest of the boys were off to the studio for the day, half of them doing a studio session for some of the new tracks they were working on, while the other two worked on some songwriting, the boys wanting a few more songs to work with before they started choosing songs for their new album.

With the boys working hard on the album and needing to be on the studio later that night Jack had offered to drop his niece off to Luke, knowing Finley would just want to be with him more than she would want to spend a few hours at her uncles, despite her loving to be with her cousins. Luke couldn’t thank his brother enough, and when he got the text that they were there while he was recording vocals, Ashton had offered to go get her. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Finley. Be a good girl for your daddy and uncles, I love you.” With a quick kiss and a hug for her Uncle Jack Finley was walking towards the doorway where Ashton stood, a smile on his face.

“Hi munchkin, did you have a nice day at school?” Letting her run underneath his arm Ashton let the door close behind him, Finley waiting for him to catch up.

“It was okay.” 

“Well that doesn’t sound very convincing, does it? Did you learn anything new?” Making their way to the studio Ashton held the little girl’s hand, Finley just shrugging as she sighed, walking into the studio to be met by the other guys.

“Your snacks and things are in the fridge, how do some Goldfish sound?”

“Ashton, how come a lot of people at school and all my friends have mummy’s and I don’t? Doesn’t everyone get a mummy?” Hearing the words escape the four year old’s lips Ashton was suddenly speechless as he glanced at Luke, who looked like he didn’t know where to begin.

“Sometimes, mummy’s and daddy’s don’t know how to love someone as much as they can. Even though they want to love their babies, sometimes they need to leave, and that’s the best thing for them.” Sitting down on the sofa Ashton pulled Finley up onto his lap, letting her face him as she grabbed her bag of Goldfish, listening intently. The other boys had given them their space, watching from afar along with Luke.

“Did you know I don’t have a daddy, Fin?”

“You don’t?” With her eyes widening in surprise Finley looked at the man who had come into her life in such a big way, hoping to hear something that could help her through this.

“Nope. But I think I turned out okay. You know why?”

“Nuh uh.”

“Because my mummy loved me more than anything in this world. Your daddy loves you loads too. Just because you don’t have a mummy and daddy like your friends and kids at your school do doesn’t mean that you can’t be the best person ever.”

“You have a daddy who loves you more than anything else in this world, you have me and Uncle Cal and Uncle Mikey who love you to the ends of the Earth, and you have all your family. And even though we can never be your mummy, we’re always going to be there for you.” 

Glancing up at Luke Ashton could see just how grateful he was, a small smile shared between the two of them before Ashton focused his attention back on the little girl on his lap, who was now rested against his chest.

“I love you, Ashton.” 

“I love you too, munchkin, more than anything.” Leaning down and pressing a small kiss to the top of her head Ashton rubbed the small girl’s back, settling back into the work that they needed to do.

—

After a few more hours at the studio it was time for the boys to call it a day, Finley having finished her homework not long after she had arrived, more than ready to be back at home where all of her toys were.

Ashton had decided to come over for dinner that night, Finley holding his hand as they walked from the car to the front door, Ashton having followed them there. Despite complaining to her dad that Ashton was there all of the time just a few days ago Finley was excited to have him there for the night, especially after everything that they had talked about earlier that afternoon.

“Bug, is chicken nuggets okay for dinner? It’s getting kind of late and I’m sure you’re hungry.” 

“The dino ones?” Perking up on her tip toes to see what her dad was doing on the island Luke couldn’t help but laugh, nodding as Ashton lifted Finley up onto one of the chairs.

Popping them into the oven Luke had gotten out the grapes and put them in a bowl for Finley, letting her pick at them before the rest of her dinner was done, Luke and Ashton both having the same dinner as her, Finley laughing.

“You and Daddy eating dino nuggets.” She giggled, dropping her head back as she covered her mouth, giggling uncontrollably.

@Ashton5SOS: Eating dinner with @Luke5SOS and Finley…At least Finny thinks our meal tonight is hilarious [twitpic of Finley laughing with their dinner in front of her]

After watching some cartoons spread out in between Luke and Ashton it was time for Finley to go to bed, Luke sending her upstairs to get her pajamas on, promising he’d be up in a few minutes to read her a book and tuck her into bed.

“You look knackered, why don’t I put the munchkin in bed, you relax, take some time off.”

“Are you sure? I mean, she loves being tucked in and then you have to read her a story and even if she looks asleep she probably isn’t.” Luke rambled, his hand swiping across his face.

“Luke, relax. I know what to do, I’ve done this before, remember? Just take a break, relax, I’ve got this.” Pressing a quick kiss to the younger man’s lips Ashton stood up from the sofa, making his way up to the princess room he could remember help decorate just a few years before.

“You get me saying goodnight tonight! How does that sound! We’re going to let Daddy relax a bit, he’s been busy, hasn’t he?” Finley climbed up into her bed as she nodded, letting Ashton pull the covers up underneath her chin, sitting next to her on the oversized bed filled with pillows.

“What story are we reading tonight?”

“Cinderella! It’s my favorite.” She squealed, clapping her hands as Ashton smiled, beginning to read the story, making sure he used different voices for every character.

Finishing the story Ashton had looked down at the sleeping girl next to him, her hair splayed across the pillows, light snores escaping her body. “Goodnight munchkin, I love you to bits.” Pressing a small kiss to her head Ashton carefully climbed out of bed, walking towards the door as he noticed Luke standing there, a smile on his face.

Luke shut his daughter’s light off and shut her door, turning back to Ashton, a smile still plastered on his face as he leaned forward, kissing the boy again.

“You’re a natural with her.” He mumbled, Ashton’s hands resting on Luke’s hips, a smile plastered on his face.

“Helps taking care of Lauren and Harry when they were younger.”

“Thank you for today. For talking to her about her mum, for showing her that it’s okay, for…for everything. I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Luke, I’m always happy to help.” Pressing another kiss to his lips Luke led Ashton to the bedroom, the two of them changing just into their boxers before climbing into bed, Luke cuddling up against Ashton, letting him wrap his arms around him.

“Spend the night.” Luke whispered into the older boy’s collarbone, Ashton’s hands running against Luke’s back, a small chuckle leaving his body.

“But Finley? Won’t she be upset? I thought we agreed to take things slow.”

“She’ll be fine, she loves you. She wanted more time with us, she didn’t want us to be alone. I’ll explain it to her tomorrow, I promise. Just please, I don’t want to be alone tonight.” Luke mumbled, harsh whispers the only sounds filling the room.

“Okay, I’ll stay.” Ashton whispered, leaning down to press another kiss to Luke’s lips, savoring the alone time the two of them had.

As the two men fell asleep that night with their limbs tangled, Luke briefly thought about how lucky he was to have someone in his life who loved him and Finley just as much as he had hoped for just after his wife had left.

And that was the greatest gift of all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nice Finley/Ashton moment, what did you guys think?
> 
> Only a few more chapters left :\
> 
> Thank you for reading/commenting/leaving kudos/etc. I appreciate it more than anything!


	17. seventeen.

It had been three weeks since Ashton had spent the night with Luke and Finley, and despite Ashton’s worries of upsetting Finley by him being there, she was actually loving it more. Ashton ended up spending most of his time after work with both Luke and Finley, helping with her homework or with dinner, the three of them easing into a routine.

The two of them had been up early that morning after Ashton had once again spent the night with them, too tired to drive the short distance home after they had put Finley to bed and watched a movie. 

“Morning, love.” Walking around the island to where Luke was stood at the stove cooking breakfast Ashton leaned up to kiss him, hugging him from behind.

“Morning, is Fin up yet?” Before Ashton had a chance to reply Finley had walked down the steps, rubbing at her eyes as she pulled herself up onto a stool, Luke turning around to hand her a plate of pancakes, smiling.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. Did you have a good sleep?” A slight nod was all Finley gave as she dug into her pancakes, Ashton grabbing her a drink before the two of them sat down with her, the three of them eating their breakfast.

“I have to pick you up from school early today, you’ve got a doctor’s appointment.”

“Daddy, no!” Finley moaned, leaning forward and grabbing her juice, Ashton stifling a laugh at the attitude she was giving after hearing where she would be going.

“Sorry, kiddo. You have to go every year, today is your day. But after today you won’t have to go back again for another year unless you’re ill.” He encouraged, earning silence from the four year old, who Luke swore was going on fourteen in the blink of an eye.

—

The boys had a morning filled with meetings after they had gotten Finley off to the bus, meeting up with Calum and Michael in the offices, Luke constantly glancing at his phone. Over the four years since Finley had been born Luke was learning to deal with managing his time and leaving places when he had to, something the boys had admired. He had gone from being late to everything to being early to almost everything, something no one really saw coming.

“Finley’s appointment is in an hour so I need to leave, but I still have to go to a meeting with Cal with our producer about the album.” Pulling at his hair the boys were given a short break to grab something to eat, Ashton looking at the boy.

“I’m done for the afternoon, why don’t I get her and take her to her appointment. It’s not a big deal.”

“I can’t ask you to do that, love.”

“You’re not asking me, I’m offering. It’s not worth it to cancel her appointment if I’m able to take her.” Reasoning with his boyfriend was proving to be difficult for Ashton, who had just barely managed to make Luke give in as he pressed a quick kiss to his lips, grabbing the car keys before he was off to Finley’s school, hoping the afternoon went as smoothly as it possibly could.

—

“Ashton!” Standing in the hallway while one of the secretaries went to get Finley from her classroom Ashton was met with the little girl running full speed at him, jumping into his arms as he laughed, kissing her cheek.

“Hi babes, ready to go to your appointment?” Leaning back to look at his face Finley jutted out her bottom lip, Ashton laughing as he signed a paper at the desk, thanking the women before walking out, Finley still on his hip.

“Where’s Daddy?”

“He had to stay at work and go to a meeting with Uncle Cal, so I offered to take you. It’s an afternoon of me and you, how does that sound?” Sitting Finley in her seat in the back Ashton buckled her in with ease, watching her as she smiled, clapping her hands.

—

The two of them spent their ride to the doctor’s office singing along to the songs on the radio, Finley dancing in her seat the whole way. Ashton almost felt bad for having to break up the party that she was clearly having fun at when they arrived at the doctor’s office, shutting off the car and letting her out of the back seat, holding her hand as they walked through the halls, getting her checked in before sitting in the waiting room.

The actual appointment was as painless as Ashton thought it would be, although when it came time for her jabs he knew this was going to be difficult, moving to stand next to her as the nurse walked back in, two needles sat on a tray she was carrying.

"Two quick jabs, sweetheart, and then you’re free to go home.” The nurse was at least trying to be friendly, Ashton couldn’t fault her on that, but he didn’t understand why she had thought Finley would feel more comfortable with her despite what she said because she had needles sat just next to her.

Ashton took the much tinier hands into his own as he forced Finley to look at him, leaning forward and kissing her forehead. “Munchkin, why don’t you tell me about what you learned at school today, yeah? I bet you had loads of fun before I had to come pick you up.” Ashton glanced at the nurse as she started cleaning off Finley’s arm, Finley hiccuping as she nodded, beginning to tell Ashton about everything they had done in school that day.

Tears escaped Finley’s eyes as the second jab went in, the nurse pressing a band-aid to her new wounds, smiling. “Good job, love, I’m all done! You were so brave, why don’t you pick something from this prize bin.” Holding out a bin full of toys Finley rummaged through before finding a small toy, thanking the nurse quietly as she hiccuped, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands.

“Hey now, no more tears. You were so brave, Finny, I’m so proud of you, and Daddy will be too when he hears. What do you say you and I go get a treat and then we’ll go home and see if Daddy’s home from his meeting with Uncle Cal.” Standing just in front of Finley who was still sat on the table Finley nodded, letting Ashton’s much larger thumbs wipe away the last of the tears, Ashton turning around to see the nurse once more.

“Here’s your forms, just take those up to the front desk. You’re really good with her, she was an angel. Have a good day!” She smiled, letting herself out of the room, Ashton helping Finley with her shoes before he picked her up, walking out of the doctor’s office together.

—

With it being so close to dinner Ashton knew he couldn’t spoil her appetite with any ice cream, instead opting to take her to the toy store, hoping that Luke wouldn’t get too mad.

Finley held Ashton’s hand as they walked to her favorite aisle—the princess aisle—looking at all of the new toys they had gotten in. While Finley was absolutely in love with anything princess she also loved cars and musical things as well, Luke letting her pick whatever she wanted when she was allowed to have a treat.

“Ashton?” Finley questioned, walking forward to look at the new princess dolls, her eyes just barely glancing up at the much taller man. “Are you going to be my daddy, too?” 

Ashton was speechless for the first time in a while, looking at the little girl he was slowly starting to feel like was his own. Her eyes had a hint of hopefulness in them, Ashton so desperately wanting to give her the answer that she wanted to hear.

“I’m not sure, that’s something we’ll have to talk to your dad about some other time. Why don’t we pick a toy and go see if he’s home.” Trying to change the subject Finley nodded, grabbing the toy she wanted as they went to pay, ready to go home.

—

“Daddy, I have a question.” Sitting on her knees at the island Finley looked right at her dad, who was finishing making their dinner while Ashton finished the side dishes, listening to the conversation carefully.

“I might have an answer.” Luke replied, turning around to face her as he smiled, leaning on the island.

“Is Ashton going to be my daddy, too?” Time seemed to stand still when Finley had asked, Luke’s mouth dropping open slightly as he looked towards Ashton, who just gave him a soft smile in return.

“I asked him earlier when we went to get a treat after the doctor, but he said we’d talk about it later. I want to know, Daddy!”

“Do you want him to be your daddy?”

“Uh huh! He’s nice and he gives good cuddles and he’s funny. I love him, Daddy.” While Luke knew that Finley had loved Ashton from the moment she knew what love was, he knew this was different.

“We’ll have to see, babe. Maybe someday he’ll be your daddy, too.” Luke smiled, letting the conversation die down as he turned back to finishing dinner, Finley satisfied with the answer that she had been given.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what do you think about Finley asking Ashton if he's going to be her dad?
> 
> thank you for all of the support on this story, it means a lot xxx


	18. eighten.

“Father’s Day is in a few days, we should get your daddy a card.” Walking through the virtually empty grocery store with Finley wandering aimlessly behind him Ashton pushed the cart, picking up a few groceries that he knew they needed at the house while Luke finished up his final few lyrics at the studio.

“We made him one at school! I have to hide it though.” Covering her mouth with both of her hands Finley let out a tiny giggle, Ashton stopping to grab something off the shelf, looking back the tiny human who he had grown to see as his daughter himself looking up at him.

“Oh you did, did you? Well, do you think we should do something else special for him?”

“Uh huh! Uh huh! We can make him breakfast!” Jumping up and down in the aisle Ashton couldn’t help but laugh, nodding as he held his hand out, letting Finley grab it.

“Should we make him pancakes? We need to go buy some things if that’s what you want to make.” Leading Finley towards the breakfast aisle he let the four year old choose pancakes and syrup before bringing her to the refrigerated aisle, grabbing some bacon to make along with it. 

“We’re going to keep this a secret though, yeah?”

“I won’t tell him.” Finley shook her head as she let Ashton grab a few more things, the two of them paying before making their way back home.

—

“Finny babes, do you want to get up and help me with breakfast?” Walking into the little girl’s room after climbing out of his shared bed with Luke Ashton gently woke up the little girl, her eyes thick with sleep as she looked up at the man who had started being with them so much, nodding.

“Come on then, munchkin. Let’s go make your daddy some breakfast.” Lifting her effortlessly out of bed and placing her on his hip Ashton carried her down to the kitchen, letting the four year old rest her head against his shoulder.

Since practically moving in with the small family Ashton had managed to learn how to do things with one hand, Finley often finding comfort in being in someone’s arms when she just woke up, when she was going to bed, or when she was having a bad day. As Finley sat in his arms Ashton managed to get out all of the ingredients, setting them out on the island.

“We’re going to mix the pancake batter, yeah? Do you want to help me?” Grabbing the mixing bowl he felt Finley just barely nodding against his shoulder, yawning. “I’m going to put you on the counter then, right here. You can help me, and then I’ll hold you again when we go to put them on the stove.” Finley barely let out a weak protest as she was set down on the counter, upset at the loss of contact between her and Ashton.

The two of them mixed up the batter together, Ashton letting Finley pour in the water to the batter before she took her spoon, mixing it up. Ashton hoped that with the noise they were making Luke was still asleep, not wanting him to come downstairs and ruin the surprise that both him and the little girl had planned out.

Bringing the bacon and the pancake mix over to sit next to the stove Ashton turned back around to grab Finley, letting her rest in his arms once again, the two of them turning back to the stove, Ashton beginning to pour out the pancakes.

“Do you want to give it to him in bed, or should we ask him to come downstairs?” 

“Bring it to him in bed.” She smiled, Ashton laughing as he nodded. The two of them finished up breakfast while Ashton sang to Finley quietly, cooking with one hand and managing both pancakes and bacon, Finley pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose as she giggled, watching him in admiration.

“Why don’t you go get your card from your bag while I put this on a tray for Daddy.” Setting Finley down on the ground Ashton listened to the tiny patter of feet against the cool hardwood, Finley returning moments later with the card in her hand, standing perched on her toes as she looked at the breakfast, smiling.

Finley followed Ashton up the steps, doing her best to keep up with the much taller man in front of her, walking into her daddy’s room just ahead of Ashton after she had opened the door.

“Morning, Daddy! Happy Father’s Day!” Pulling herself up onto the opposite side of the bed Luke stirred at the sudden addition of noise in the room, opening his eyes as he smiled, noticing the breakfast being carried into the room.

“Did you help Ash make this?” Sitting up so Ashton could set the tray in his lap Luke turned to his daughter, watching her nod excitedly. 

“I made you a card too!” Shoving it in his face Luke and Ashton both laughed as Ashton took it in his hand, taking note of the picture she had drawn, “love, Finley” written down the bottom, messy four year old handwriting and all. 

“I love it, bug, and I love you for making it.” Leaning down Luke asked for a kiss from his little girl, Finley leaning up and pressing a messy kiss to his lips, watching as he turned to Ashton, receiving a kiss from him as well.

Ashton joined the family on the other side of the bed, watching as Luke fed Finley parts of his breakfast, leaning over the small girl to give Ashton a few bites too. “This is perfect.” Luke mumbled, feeling content with having his favorite people with him for the morning, happy with just being in bed for the time being.

—

Luke had finished his breakfast while Finley turned on cartoons on the television in the room, Ashton and Luke making quiet conversation just above her head. Finally convincing himself it was time to get out of bed Luke stood up first, pulling some clothes out of his drawers and getting dressed quickly, Ashton taking the plates downstairs after he had gotten ready himself.

“What do you think we should do today, bug?” Pulling Finley out of his bed Luke walked down the hall and back into her room, letting her choose her clothes for the day.

“I dunno.” With a quick shrug of her shoulders Luke couldn’t help but laugh, pulling the shirt over his daughter’s head, letting her pull on the leggings that she picked. 

The two of them walked downstairs as Finley trailed behind, jumping to keep up with her father, who walked into the kitchen to see Ashton tidying things up.

“Oooh!” With the squeal coming from behind the pair the two of them turned around to find Finley in the family room, looking at the wall of guitars that Luke had placed there when they had first moved in. 

“I want you to teach me!” Jumping up and down in her spot Luke’s eyes widened at the words that had just come out of his daughter's mouth, leaning against the island as he watched her.

“You want to learn guitar?” He questioned, watching Finley nod in anticipation, Luke laughing as he walked over to the wall, gently pulling down the acoustic guitar, getting it tuned.

“Come here, bug.” Opening his arms after sitting on the sofa Finley ran over and got settled into his lap, Luke pressing a gentle kiss to her head before taking her fingers, beginning to help place her fingers on a chord. Ashton watched from the kitchen with a smile on his face, the house soon being filled with the sounds of a four year old learning to play the guitar, Luke helping her, cheering her on the whole time.

@5SOS: Happy Father’s Day to all dad’s, and to our own bandmate @Luke5SOS! Here’s a classic photo of what Finny and Luke do better than anyone else in the world :) [twitpic of Luke asleep on the tour bus, Finley laying on his chest, sleeping as well]

“I’m doing it, Daddy!” Looking up at her father in adoration Luke couldn’t help but smile, pressing small kisses on her faces.

“You are! You’ll be better than me in no time.” Luke teased, Finley giggling as she turned back to the guitar, beginning to play the chords that she had learned again, Luke helping her when she needed it.

@Luke5SOS: Four years ago this little girl made me a father, which is definitely the greatest thing to ever happen. Happy Father’s Day to all of the other dad’s out there, I hope you’re as lucky as I am. I love you Finley Elizabeth [twitpic of the two of them playing guitar together]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> only two or three more chapters left :(
> 
> thank you for all of the support on this xx


	19. nineteen.

Luke and Finley had settled into so much of a routine with Ashton being at their house all of the time that it almost felt weird when he would spend time at his own house, both of them feeling as though a piece of them was missing. Finley always ended up just a bit cuddlier than she normally was, often spending the nights that Ashton was away curled up against her father, the two of them watching a film that they had undoubtedly seen a million times before.

After writing and recording a good portion of the next album the boys had decided that it would be good for them to have a few days to themselves, Luke looking forward to being able to do the things a dad with a normal job would do, including picking Finley up from school. Ashton had decided that he would go back to the countryside and see his mum for a day or two, desperately missing her home cooking despite her being just a few hours away.

Standing at the bus stop along with a few other parents Luke occupied his time on his phone, looking up when he heard the bus coming to a stop, Finley jumping off the last step before she ran to him, hugging his legs.

“Hi, bug. Did you have a nice day at school?” Leaning back so she could see her father’s face Finley nodded, taking his hand as the two of them began walking home. 

“I drew a picture today in art.” Skipping alongside her father mostly to keep up with him Finley stated, Luke smiling.

“I can’t wait to see it.” Luke promised, letting her run ahead of him and into the house, Luke joining her as he already noticed her getting her own snack, pulling herself up to sit on the island. Reaching over to grab her backpack from the other chair Finley fished through her backpack, pulling out a slightly crinkled piece of paper, toddler scribbles all over it.

“It’s so pretty! What did you decide to draw this time?” Walking around to the side of the island Luke studied the picture, Finley taking a bite of her snack before looking up at him, giggling.

“It’s me and you and Ash! And this our house, and that’s Uncle Cal and Uncle Mikey coming to visit!” She explained, her sticky fingers pointing everything out as she smiled, taking another bite of her snack.

“Does Uncle Ash live with us in the picture?” 

“Uh huh! But he doesn’t really.” Shaking her head Finley looked up at her dad, Luke meeting her eyes, a glimpse of hopefulness in them.

“Would you want him to?” Breaking the question to a four year old who was full of opinions had Luke shaking with nervousness. It wasn’t that Luke hadn’t thought about asking Ashton to move in with them permanently, because he definitely had. He was more worried about what the four year old he had raised virtually by himself would think, especially because how much it would change things in her own personal life.

“Can he? I miss him when he’s not here. He can stay with me and you all the time!” The tiny blue eyes widened with excitement as the question left her father’s lips, Luke exhaling a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, his hands leaning against the island.

“I think that’d be a great idea. He’s going to be back tomorrow afternoon, why don’t we bake him a cake so we can ask him?” Nodding in anticipation over the proposal her father had given her Luke smiled, quickly looking through the cabinets to make sure that they had everything that they needed.

“We’ll make it in the morning before he comes home since you don’t have school. Nan and Granddad are coming over for dinner tonight, so we need to get ready.” Pulling things out that he would need to begin prepping for dinner Finley clapped her hands, finishing up her snack before disappearing upstairs, Luke leaving her be for a little. 

—

Having his parents there for the night had brought Luke back to when he was younger and had just been left with Finley, barely old enough to hold her head up on her own. Back then she needed him for everything, and now as he looked at her dancing around the living room while her grandparents watched her, he realized just how much the two of them had grown in the past few years. He had become a parent that he knew he could be, and she had a love for him that he only could’ve imagined would happen when he first held her in his arms in the hospital room hours after she had been brought into the world.

The four of them sat down for dinner, Finley sat in her usual chair as she picked at her food, more interested in talking with her grandparents. While they saw each other as often as possible Finley enjoyed being with them more than time allowed, meaning every time she saw them she had millions of stories to tell them from their time apart.

“Daddy said we can ask Ash to move in with us!” Luke could practically feel himself tense up when Finley had spoken those words. He knew his parents would approve of Ashton moving in, they knew how important the was to their family now. Luke had wanted to be able to tell them in his own way, rather than his four year old daughter stealing that thunder. 

“He did? That’s exciting.” A smile was present on Liz’s face as she looked at her son, giving him a subtle wink, letting him know that they would talk about things later. Finley had kept rambling on about how excited she was through dinner, only stopping when she tried to stifle her yawns, Luke laughing.

“Say goodnight to Nan and Granddad, you’ll see them next weekend when we go to theirs for Uncle Ben’s birthday.” Giving Finley a minute to give them both kisses and hugs goodnight Luke lifted her up effortlessly, bringing her up to bed to get her changed and tucked in, leaving a gentle kiss pressed against her forehead.

“Goodnight babe, I love you to bits.”

“And bits and bits.” She whispered, Luke smiling as he walked out of the room, back down to meet with his parents, relieved that they were able to have some alone time.

“So, you’re going to ask Ashton to move in?” Raising his eyebrows Andy couldn’t help but let a smile appear on his face, his meant to be intimidating demeanor now diminished.

“I mean he practically lives here anyway, I thought it’d be good to just ask him to move in permanently. Fin is super excited about it.” Shrugging Luke suddenly felt intimidated, despite knowing his parents approved of the whole situation.

“You need to put Finley first, and you are. She’s so happy, Luke. Listening to her talk about everything you guys do with her is enough to show you that. Make sure she always comes first though. Adding Ashton into the mix permanently may change things a bit, just keep in mind how she’s feeling at all times.”

“I know. She’s always going to come first. Ash knows that. I just, I think it’ll be good for us, for her.”

“I think it’ll be god for you, too.” Liz smiled, Luke breathing a sigh of relief as he nodded.

“Finley is the happiest I’ve seen her since you and Ashton worked things out and made sure that things were going well. It might be hard to adjust at first having him there at all times without his own house to go to if you need space, but I know you guys can make it work.”

“Just make sure the next time we see you guys he’s with you.” Andy teased, Luke laughing as he could only shake his head, agreeing with that statement.

With his parents support and Finley’s enthusiasm about asking Ashton the only thing left for Luke to do was ask him when he was back the following night. While he was fairly confident that he was going to say yes, he would feel a whole lot better in twenty four hours when he knew the definite answer, and could feel like his life was finally going in the direction that it was meant to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> only one more chapter, an epilogue, and a one-shot of teenage Finley before this story is over :\ I plan on posting more stories if you guys are interested! Maybe not surrounded around this storyline x
> 
> Thank you for all of your support! xxx


	20. twenty.

While Finley had been excited and practically counting down the hours until Ashton was back home, Luke couldn’t say that he was feeling the same way his daughter was. He had been nervous from the minute his four year old had jumped on his chest at a time way too early to be considered a good morning, knowing that today was the day he was going to ask the man he loved to move in with them, just hoping he would say yes.

Finley had eaten her breakfast and had asked a million times when they would be making their cake, and while Luke would much rather curl up on the sofa and watch a film, he knew that the hours were ticking by, and he needed to get things done. Grabbing the ingredients that they needed Finley pulled up a chair to the island like always, Luke measuring everything out.

“I can pour?” Looking up at her father with hopeful eyes Luke couldn’t help but smile and nod, handing her each measuring cup when she needed it.

“Be careful babes, try not to get any all over you.” Laughing as his daughter leaned up to pour the batter in Luke put his hand on her back, hoping that she wouldn’t lose her balance and cause even more drama.

“I did it!” Clapping her hands Luke could only laugh as he grabbed the mixer, letting her tiny hands rest on his as he mixed the batter, quickly pouring it so he could get it into the oven. 

“Daddy, will Ash be home soon?”

“Few more hours, bug. Why don’t we watch a movie for a bit, yeah? By the time the movie is over he’ll be almost here.” Luke offered, hoping that a movie would distract him from the nervousness he was feeling about asking Ashton the question in just a few hours.

—

Icing a cake with a four year old was proving to be one of the tasks that Luke found most difficult, Finley constantly wanting to help, Luke cringing as he watched her accidentally take out chunks of the cake that they had spent the afternoon cooking. In his mind he knew that Ashton would like it, doing his best to let go of what the presentation looked like to him.

Placing the now iced cake in the fridge and the picture that Finley had drawn at school all that was left to do was to wait for Ashton to come home, Luke receiving a text that he was just about twenty minutes away, having just gotten back into the city of Sydney.

Sitting down to watch cartoons with his little girl Luke tried to relax, however when the back door opened and the alarm sounded that a door was open, he could practically feel his heart leap out of his chest.

“Ash, Ash, Ash!” Launching off the sofa and running as fast as she could towards the back door Ashton had dropped his bag just in time to catch the four year old running towards him, scooping her in his arms, squeezing her against his chest.

"I've missed my little munchkin! Did you have a nice time at home with Daddy?” 

“Uh huh! We made you something, come look!” Letting her feet be placed back on the ground Finley took Ashton’s hand, leading him towards the kitchen counter, where Luke now stood.

Stealing a quick kiss from Luke Ashton had turned around to see the picture in front of him, his eyes widening.

“What did you draw, babes?” Holding the picture in his hands Ashton bent down to the younger girl’s height, holding the picture out in front of them.

“It’s me and you and Daddy! And our house, and that’s Uncle Mikey and Uncle Cal over here!” Pointing to each part of the picture she had drawn Finley bounced with excitement, Luke taking the time to grab the cake out of the fridge, turning around so he could hold it out, just in time for Ashton to glance up.

“Oh my god.” Whispering as he stood up Ashton fixed his glasses on his face, studying the cake, which he quickly figured out read “Move in?” In the neatest writing possible that Luke could manage when trying to use icing to write.

“Are you serious?” Stuttering for words Ashton’s eyes met with Luke’s, Luke shakily letting the cake rest again on the counter, pulling Ashton towards him.

“Please, Finley and I don’t want to beg, but we aren’t above it.” 

“Of course I will.” Barely able to get the words out above a whisper Ashton let his lips do the talking, letting them crash against Luke’s with haste, only breaking apart so he could lean down and pick up Finley, letting her rest in his arms.

“So you’re gonna move in?” Bouncing in excitement in his arms Ashton couldn’t help but laugh, leaning forward and pressing kisses to her face.

“I am.”

“It worked, Daddy!” Turning back so she could look at Luke Finley’s eyes widened, Luke only laughing as he nodded.

“It did, baby. Now, why don’t we get some dinner ready and then we can eat the cake.”

—

“It was clever the way you asked me to move in.” With Finley now bathed and in bed Luke and Ashton laid cuddled up on the sofa, a film serving as the background noise as the two of them spoke, keeping their voices down.

“Fin drew the picture. I really had been wanting to ask you, but when she brought that home from school I figured it had to be now or never.” Smiling sheepishly Ashton could only laugh as he pulled Luke closer, pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head.

“It was amazing. And I’m so glad that I won’t have to go back and forth all the time anymore.” Whispering quietly Ashton smiled, Luke just nodding, unsure of what exactly to say.

“You know how I said I wanted to take things slow? I think I’m ready for more, I’m ready for us to be together long term. Moving in together will only make this even better. I’m ready to be with you longterm.” Breaking the otherwise fairly quiet room Luke smiled, meeting Ashton’s eyes for the first time in what felt like hours.

“I’m ready to do whatever you’re ready for.” Ashton promised, and with that a weight was lifted off of Luke’s shoulders, finally content with how things were changing, this time for the better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just an epilogue and a one-shot of teenage Finley left before this is over :( 
> 
> thank you to anyone who has read this and left kudos/bookmarked it, it means more than anything! xx


	21. epilogue.

Being a single parent had its ups and downs in Luke’s world from the minute he had held Finley in his arms those four years ago. Tours with a one year old had become second nature to Luke, always managing to remember every little detail from extra clothes for any sort of weather to even the smallest of toys that he wasn’t even sure she played with anymore, just wanting to be more prepared than anything.

While Ashton had been in his life for years, the minute he had entered his life as more than a friend was the moment that Luke felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. The boys had always been the uncles that Finley needed, always more than happy to take her off of Luke’s hands for a few hours, letting him have some much deserved time alone when things just seemed like it was all a little too much.

Ashton had grown to love every detail of being with Luke. He loved the moments he got Luke all to himself, the two of them talking in harsh whispers and cuddling closer than ever before, stifling their giggles so they wouldn’t wake the rest of the bus up. He loved the moments they got to go out and see cities they had never seen before, watching Luke’s face in excitement as they walked around unfamiliar territories, taking it all in.

But what he found to love the most was the moments that they got to spend as a family, Finley running excitedly in front of them, experiencing the world for the first time. While he hadn’t had a father himself growing up, he grew to love the relationship that Finley had with her father, and how much love Luke had for her to give right back.

Not everything was easy. Moving in with an obviously very strongly bonded father and daughter unit was intimidating, even for Ashton despite him being with Luke and Finley from the moment Finley was brought into the world. He was worried that him coming into their world more permanently would mess things up and just cause a world of drama, which is the last thing he wanted.

Fortunately, with a world of convincing from Luke and a life full of love and kisses from Finley Ashton knew he was where he belonged, and that’s what really convinced him that things were going to be absolutely fine.

So instead of living a bachelor life in his apartment that he had now recently sold, Ashton had taken on the world of being a family unit with Luke and Finley, including learning to do her hair, paint nails, and sing songs to put her to sleep after a nightmare when Luke was working late nights at the studio, just like he would have if he was home.

And while everything had changed for both Luke and Ashton in terms of being in a relationship, both of them knew that there was nowhere else they would rather be.

And that’s what made it all worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll post the one-shot next week, and then this story will be over! :( 
> 
> thank you so much to anyone who has read this/left comments/kudos/bookmarked it/whatever, it's meant more than anything! I was so nervous to post this so I'm glad people enjoyed it! 
> 
> I do plan to post another story, so be on the lookout for that! :)


	22. extra one-shot

Fifteen year old Finley Hemmings had a knack of falling in love with things in the world without necessarily thinking things through. She was as feisty as she was when she was a young toddler, ready to challenge anyone that would come with criticism to her, despite her father’s numerous attempts to get her to just be quiet for once and let him deal with things as her parent.

“I don’t understand what’s the big deal of letting me go. You’re being so unreasonable about this.” Slumped against the counter on the stool at the island Finley watched as both Luke and Ashton worked seamlessly together in the same space to get dinner ready, both listening to Finley’s reasonings on why she should be allowed to go to a year 12’s party at the weekend.

“There’s going to be alcohol, you’re only fifteen, I don’t know this guy and the other people at the party, the parents won’t be there. Do I need to keep rattling off reasons, or is that good enough?” Raising his eyebrows at the teenager sat across from him, her homework having been abandoned in favor of convincing her father and his long-term boyfriend that it was a good idea to let her go.

“You don’t know that there is going to be alcohol.” Mumbling under her breath Finley was startled when Luke slammed his hands down on the island, bending down just slightly to be eye level with his daughter, who was testing his patience more than usual.

“Finley, I don’t know if you know this, but I was 15 once. I know what parties are like, and I know that I don’t want my 15 year old daughter at a party with older guys where there will be alcohol.”

“Kenzie’s going!” Crying out to her father Finley let her head fall back, Ashton opting to stay out of it, knowing that this wasn’t really his place to have input when she wasn’t technically his daughter.

“Damn it, Finley, that’s enough! I am not Kenzie’s dad, I’m your dad. And your dad says you’re not going.” Both flinched at the sudden elevation of his voice, Finley sighing.

“Finley, go upstairs and finish your homework please.” Ashton interjected, Finley getting up without a word, grabbing her bag and making her way up the stairs, slamming her door in the process.

“Am I being unreasonable? Please don’t tell me you’re on her side.” Turning to his boyfriend of almost twelve years Luke’s lucid blue eyes searched desperately for confirmation from his boyfriend, desperately wanting him to agree with him, to see his side more than Ashton could see the defiant teenager’s side.

“You’re not being unreasonable, no. She’s a teenager, love, she’s going to argue with you. You did it with your mum and dad, now it’s her turn.” Leaning up for a kiss Luke was eager to receive Ashton made sure to let it linger just a bit longer than normal, Luke’s racing heart slowing down, if only for a minute.

—

Finley was well aware of her father’s rule about going out that night with her friends. She knew he wanted her in for the night, she knew he didn’t want her at a party where he didn’t know anyone and there would be alcohol. Finley also knew that she didn’t always follow the rules he had set out for her.

Ashton and Luke often spent their Friday nights in the lounge watching films together, their day to really unwind and just relax after spending their hours at work, both of them producing albums for up and coming artists, just like they were all those years ago. Finley knew this information, and had planned out how she was going to leave perfectly, executing it with her friends who had their licenses and were willing to come pick her up.

Receiving the text from her friend Finley had grabbed her bag from just beside the window, climbing out onto the roof of their front porch and sliding herself down onto the front lawn, dusting off her knees before running to the car, getting in quietly in order to make sure that her dad and Ashton didn’t hear her drive off, ready to have the night of her life.

—

Luke had found it odd that Finley had barely made any noise the past few hours. While the fifteen year old often stayed out of their way when they were having time alone, Ashton and Luke were used to Finley coming into the kitchen to grab snacks a few times, often saying a quiet hello before retreating back to her room, where she was watching her own film.

“Maybe she just fell asleep.” Ashton shrugged, stretching his long body against the back of the couch, having fallen stiff after a few hours cuddled up next to his boyfriend.

“It’s too early for her to be asleep, unless she’s ill. Which she’s not.” Pulling himself up to stand Luke set off for the staircase, carefully climbing up and making his way to his daughter’s room, the door pushed shut, like always.

Knocking twice Luke found it odd that there was no response from the teenager, who always answered immediately. Luke was relieved to find that the door wasn’t locked, twisting the knob with ease as he looked in the room, his eyes widening to find it empty.

“Ashton!” Yelling down the steps with urgency Luke walked back into his daughter’s room, searching for a note, anything that could’ve been left behind by the rebellious teenager in the wake of her destruction this time. Luke’s heart raced with worry, Ashton walking in to find him in a mess of panic and a rage of fury, tearing at her bed sheets and notebooks, hoping to find something—anything—to ease his worry.

“She’s gone. She’s not here and there’s no note from her and oh my god, I don’t know what to do.” Suddenly becoming dizzy with panic Ashton forced Luke to sit down on his daughter’s now messy bed, grabbing both of his hands into his, forcing him to look at him.

“Babe, it’s okay. I’m sure she’s fine. I’ll call her and see if she answers, we’ll figure out where she is. It’s going to be fine, just breathe.” Pressing soft kisses to the forehead of the man who he knew better than anyone else, Ashton led him downstairs, sitting him down on the sofa while he set out to call the teenager, frustrated when he didn’t receive an answer from her.

“That party was tonight.” Luke mumbled, leaning back against the cushions in defeat, his hand running through his hair. “I told her not to go, so she probably snuck out.” 

With the realization of what Finley might have done and where she might be Ashton had to admit that he relaxed just slightly, at least feeling safer that Finley was probably at the party, despite her father’s stern rules that she was not allowed to go because he didn’t deem it safe.

“Then we’ll wait for her to get home. Luke, it’s okay. She’s a teenager. I know you’ve snuck out when you were a teenager, and now she’s starting to. It’ll be fine, she’s fine.” Repeating the same words over and over Ashton took a seat next to Luke, pulling him to lean against his side as he kissed his cheek, running his fingers alongside Luke’s much larger arms.

—

Luke and Ashton waited on the sofa for four hours before they heard the front door click open, Luke startling from his half slumber when he heard the noise, both him and Ashton sitting up as Finley stumbled through the door, Luke taking a deep breath before he stood up.

“Finley.” Startled by the noise coming from the other room Finley jumped and looked up, sighing when she saw her dad and Ashton both standing there.

“You’re not supposed to be awake.” Stumbling into the room Finley’s eyes widened, coming to a stop just standing in front of them.

“Where were you, Finley?” Keeping his voice calm as he watched his daughter clearly drunk stand before him, Luke knew he needed to keep his cool.

“Party.” With her voice just barely above a whisper Luke took a deep breath, deciding that he needed to do the right thing right now.

“Let’s get you to bed, we’ll talk about this in the morning.” Taking a few steps forward Luke took his little girl’s arm, bringing her upstairs to her room, Ashton appearing a few minutes later, a bucket, some Tylonel, and water in hand, setting it down on her bedside table. Luke had helped her get changed into a t-shirt and shorts, helping her into bed as she sighed, letting him pull the blankets up just underneath her chin.

“Ash and I will be in our room if you need us. Sleep tight, bug.” Luke whispered, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead before him and Ashton left the room, letting the silence speak more than words as they climbed into bed, cuddling together and gently falling asleep.

—

When Luke woke up the next morning he planned on finding his daughter a mess underneath the blankets in her room, nursing her first hangover that Luke had tried to protect her from.

Instead as he opened the door to her bedroom and found her bed empty once again, he looked towards her bathroom, biting his lip to prevent the smile that was appearing on her face when he found her lying on the floor, a towel being used as a pillow.

“You alright there?” Jumping at the sudden voice in the room Finley could only moan, her head falling to hide in the towel.

“Leave me alone.” She mumbled, Luke laughing as he leaned against the doorway, studying his daughter as she laid there pathetically.

“My baby’s first hangover.” He teased, Finley sighing as she coughed, not knowing what to say to her father that would be right.

“I shouldn’t have gone last night. I feel like I’m dying.”

“There’s other reasons you shouldn’t have gone last night, other than the fact that you feel like this today.” Walking into the teenager’s bathroom Luke pulled his lanky body down to the ground, letting Finley fall so she was laying in his lap, his hand automatically going to play with the loose strands of hair from her bun.

“You know I only didn’t let you go because I wanted to keep you safe, right? I don’t want to be a mean parent, you know that, Fin.” Met with a whispered word of agreement from his daughter Luke knew he needed to keep going, figuring now was as good as time as ever.

“I was fifteen once, too, I know you want to go out and party and have a good time with your friends, but you’re so young. You have your whole life ahead of you, you don’t need to start partying now, especially with people that I’ve never met.”

“I just wanted to be with my friends, I didn’t think I would get this drunk.” Her voice was just a mumble as she laid against her father’s chest, Luke brought back to the times the two of them would cuddle like this on the tour bus, Finley just waking up from a nightmare.

“What if something had happened to you? I want you to be with your friends, I want you to live your life, make memories. But I don’t want you to be like this after every night out, especially since you’re underage. You could’ve gotten in a lot of trouble if you were caught, Finley.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I know you are, baby. I know you are.” Leaning down Luke pressed a gentle kiss to her head, Finley keeping quiet. 

“You’re grounded until I say, no going out, no doing anything fun. Ash and I will be happy to have you spend weekends with us for the time being.” A groan was met by the new rules Luke had set, Luke laughing at his daughter’s reaction.

“Come on, I know some cures for hangovers. Had a few in my day before you came along. Let’s go lay on the sofa where Ash and I can keep an eye on you for the day.”

“But I might have to throw up again.” Sitting up slowly Finley held her head in her hands, her eyes meeting her father’s for the first time that morning.

“You’ll be fine. We’ll bring a bucket down, just in case.” Standing up from his spot on the floor and ignoring his aching bones as a telltale sign that he’s getting older and held out his hand, helping Finley off the floor, letting her brush her teeth before the two walked downstairs, Ashton smiling as he helped her get situated on the sofa, covering her in a few blankets and getting her the remote so she could watch what she wanted. 

“Here’s some toast, Fin. It’ll help settle your stomach.” Handing a plate of toast with just a little bit of butter Ashton let the teenager sit up before giving her the plate, letting her take some slow bites.

“You’ll be fine, Fin. Now you know not to do this.” With a teasing tone to his voice Ashton laughed lightly, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her head, leaving Fin to be with her dad, Luke sat on the coffee table just in front of her.

“No matter how many mistakes you make, how many times you defy my rules I set for you, and how many times you fight with me even though I’m right, I will always love you. You are the best thing to ever happen to me, Finley Elizabeth, even if you drive me crazy and won’t listen.” Laughing slightly Luke leaned forward and kissed her cheek, Finley smiling.

“I love you, Daddy. Thanks for not being the worst dad ever, even when I probably deserve for you to be meaner.” She whispered, Luke laughing.

“Get some sleep, I’ll check on you soon.” Leaving her be Luke walked into the kitchen, smiling as he walked over to Ashton, letting him press a kiss to his lips, leaning back against the counter.

“How bad did you make the punishment?”

“Just said that she’s not going out for a while, I didn’t specify time, but at least a few weeks. I wanted to be so mad at her for doing this after I repeatedly told her no, but I walked into her room and found her lying on her bathroom floor using a towel as a pillow, and I couldn’t be mad anymore.” He laughed, Ashton shaking his head.

“You’re doing a good job, whether you want to believe it or not. She’s a good kid, she’s just a little rebellious.” 

“And making me feel older by the minute.” Luke shook his head, receiving another kiss before the two of them worked seamlessly in the kitchen to make their own breakfasts, Luke checking on his little girl every so often, happy that she was resting as best as she could, her hangover slowly getting better as the day went on.

Being the parent of a teenager was bringing a whole new set of challenges for Luke, who was just doing his best to get by with each thing she threw at him. What he was hoping was that Finley realized that he was doing the things he was doing to make sure that she was safe and happy, and not because he didn’t want her to have fun.

Finley may bring him troubles as she grew up, but Luke would forever be in love with the little girl who had brought him so much joy when she was born fifteen years ago. No matter how many times she defied Luke with her stubborn personality she would always be his little girl, and nothing could change that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it's over! :(
> 
> thank you so much for anyone who took the time to read this story, give kudos, leave a comment, or bookmark it. It meant more than anything
> 
> hopefully next week I'll have a new story up, so if you'd like to read more, keep on the lookout for that! (: X

**Author's Note:**

> I've spent a lot of time going back and forth on if I was going to post this or not, mostly because I'm so nervous about it since it's a bit different than anything I've written before.
> 
> It will mainly focus on Finley and Luke and their relationship/Luke being a single dad, but there will be other elements thrown in there of romance :) 
> 
> This first chapter is just an intro to Finley and Luke, but the other boys will be making appearances very soon!
> 
> I plan to update once or twice a week, depending on when I have time to get on and post.
> 
> Please let me know if you guys enjoy this! (: x


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